Second Chances
by destyshell
Summary: Red John targets those closest to Patrick Jane once again; Lisbon and Jane must protect Patrick's niece and create a family for the orphaned toddler.
1. Chapter 1

Red John targets those closest to Patrick Jane yet again; Jane and Lisbon must protect Patrick's niece and create a family for the orphaned toddler.

Pairing: Patrick Jane/Teresa Lisbon

Rating:Mature

Disclaimer:CBS and Bruno Heller own all.

Set before season two. Some details may be slightly AU. I know this plot will be Jossed during 3x02, but anyway…

Second Chances

Teresa Lisbon awoke to the smell of bacon sizzling crisp and cinnamon-hazelnut coffee brewing. While initially disconcerted with the thought of someone breaking into her apartment as she slept, she did have the presence of mind to realize that most criminals don't stop to cook you breakfast prior to committing said felony against your property or person.

The longer she lay there in her bed, the more varied and intense the aromas became—blueberry pancakes, melted butter and maple syrup were added. The sleepy brunette whined as she forced herself to rise, feigning sleep would only mean microwaved leftovers later that morning and a pouting Patrick who was obviously in the mood for company at 6:30 am on a Sunday morning.

Though the senior agent was tempted to toss her familiar intruder out on his ass until a more reasonable hour, she knew that Patrick Jane often relied on her companionship—even more so as fall began its approach, and the dreaded anniversary date of his family's loss drew near. Teresa Lisbon had grown adept at marking the subtle shifts in Jane's moods, trying to help keep the guilt and despair at bay for the friend who lost his wife and child six years before.

Not to say that their friendship was wholly one-sided. Patrick would often escort Teresa to various holiday festivities, even though he normally would've eschewed them, just so her absence of family members wouldn't be so keenly felt. He, too, would help bolster Teresa's spirits as the calendar days grew black for her, as well. Her mother's accident and father's suicide were memories that could send Lisbon into a dark withdrawal, even though most of her co-workers remained unaware, skilled as she was in shielding her private life.

Patrick Jane could see through those opaque layers like no one else Teresa had ever known, though instead of exposing her pain for the rest to see, Patrick Jane would offer his friendship—a fresh cup of coffee or tea (depending on the level of sympathy required), her favorite take-out, a movie they'd seen a dozen times….

Of course, Lisbon's friendship with Jane did not usually secure the whole-hearted cooperation of the fractious consultant. He would regularly test her patience with his, albeit, successful antics, while the feisty brunette would often be forced to chastise Jane like an errant schoolboy, though he generally took his comeuppance with a modicum of grace.

Generally, Patrick Jane would try to avoid pushing the bounds of friendship with Teresa Lisbon _too_ far, not relishing those moments when the senior agent was forced to decide between himself and her job, while Lisbon would try to give the insightful consultant as much leeway as possible, due to the accuracy of his deductions and the depth of his suffering.

Their individual isolation was made more tolerable by these regular intrusions and presumptions on each other's parts, such as the breakfast preparations currently taking place in Lisbon's kitchen. Teresa would frequently chastise Patrick for locating the spare key she would hide in a new spot each time the previous one was discovered, which was only slightly better than the fact that he would resort to picking the lock if she wasn't gracious enough to leave the key available for him.

The senior agent finally decided that allowing Jane to use the spare key was recompense enough for being allowed to sleep past four a.m. when the blonde consultant would often take up residence on her couch after another sleepless night.

Sadly, there seemed little Teresa could do to convince Patrick to let her sleep in on the weekends. Knowing he'd been up for hours already, Lisbon was aware the only rest Jane ever really took was on the leather sofa at the CBI building, the buzz of the office serving as temporary distraction to his anguished mind.

Slipping into yoga pants, bra, and a tee, Lisbon raked her fingers through her hair as she trudged downstairs, squinting at the early morning sunshine that poured in the downstairs windows.

"What the hell, Jane?" the petite brunette groaned as she meandered into her kitchen, its use usually reserved for Patrick Jane's early morning intrusions and attempts to keep Teresa Lisbon adequately fed.

"Good morning to you, too, Lisbon," the blonde consultant, looking oddly casual in a black tee and jeans, smiled cheerily, offering the senior agent a steaming cup of her favorite coffee.

"What did you do?" Lisbon inquired flatly as she eyed the dark brew suspiciously.

"I made blueberry pancakes and bacon," Jane indicated with the spatula in his hand and an air of innocence.

"You made me coffee—not tea—therefore, you must have committed some atrocity for which I will have to apologize, and I just want to be prepared," Lisbon nodded with a wry smile as she perched in the kitchen chair.

"I promise you, Lisbon, I have done nothing to fluster, offend, or generally piss-off anyone in the last 24 hours," Patrick grinned back at Teresa before continuing with the true reason he'd arrived so very early this Sunday morning.

"Just…hungry, couldn't sleep, Sunday morning breakfast alone didn't seem at all appealing," he smiled with a quick wink though his normally bright eyes were momentarily shadowed with a forlorn longing that he typically kept hidden from most.

"Fine…," Lisbon sighed, knowing that there was little point in trying to make Jane feel contrite for intruding on her much-deserved rest. She gave the curly-haired consultant a begrudging smile as he placed her plate in front of her, though she nevertheless sighed with pleasure at the bite of syrup-laden goodness that she tasted.

"So are you going to help me work all this off after breakfast?" Lisbon asked pointedly.

Jane choked at the question—it's not often that the senior agent caught him off-guard.

"What…did you have…in mind…exactly?" Jane stammered, trying to appear unaffected.

"Running, of course—what did you think I meant?" Lisbon snarked, enjoying the opportunity to tease her colleague.

"Running?" Jane whined—scrunching his face to playfully elicit the sympathy he knew Lisbon would refuse him. "Come on, Teresa…it's Sunday," he continued with the plaintive begging until the senior agent lobbed her napkin in his direction.

"Yeah, Patrick—Sunday—when most normal people sleep past 6:30 a.m."

Jane chuckled, amused that he finally goaded Lisbon into retaliation.

"Gym bag's in the car," he confessed in concession, taking a hearty bite of his pancakes followed by a sip of Earl Grey from the sole teacup he kept stashed in Lisbon's cabinet.

Lisbon flashed her consultant a smug grin as she snapped off a bite of bacon in her tiny triumph.

"So…what's on for tonight? _Dragnet_ boxed set? Chinese take-out?" Lisbon tempted as she swirled her pancakes in the puddle of extra syrup Jane had supplied.

"Meh, I was thinking Jack Lord and pizza," Jane casually remarked, finishing off the last of his pancakes and flinching as he sipped his tea that had grown cold.

"You're just disagreeing with me out of habit," Lisbon cocked a sardonic eyebrow as she wiped her plate clean of syrup with the last bite of her breakfast.

"Now…when have I _ever_ been guilty of that?" Jane inquired, as if shocked by the accusation.

Lisbon scoffed loudly, shoulders lurching forward and eyes rolling toward the ceiling to reinforce her point.

"Seriously—I can only take so much Joe Friday in one afternoon—reminds me too much of Cho," the blonde consultant explained matter-a-factly, eliciting a unladylike snort from Lisbon.

"Ok, fine—Hawaii 5-0 it is—but we're still getting Chinese," Lisbon compromised," crumpling her extra napkin on top of her empty plate and leaning back in her chair.

Jane smiled broadly, taking a little pleasure in amusing the senior agent.

"Fine."

Lisbon countered with a slightly smug quirk of her lips.

"Well," Agent Lisbon pushed up from her dining chair as her consultant gathered the dishes, "we'd better get started on those ten miles, hmm?" she inquired rhetorically as she made toward the stairs to retrieve her running shoes.

"Ten miles?" Jane called from the kitchen. "Are you trying to kill me, woman?" he poked his head from the doorway and eyed Teresa incredulously. "Can we make it five, instead?"

A wicked smile graced Teresa's face.

"Ha!" she countered from upstairs, shouting back her retort, "I _really_ only wanted to run five miles, anyway."

Patrick chuckled at Teresa's reverie, deciding it the better part of valor to occasionally let her have the last word.

Just as Jane rose from his seat to fetch his gym bag from the Citroën, and Lisbon was scurrying back down the stairs, threading her hair into a messy bun, the senior agent's phone began to reverberate against the dining table.

Jane picked up the device, handing it off to his co-worker with a resigned sigh.

"Looks like Dan-o will have to book 'em another day—it's Minelli calling."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

Teresa quickly grabbed the SUV keys while still on the phone with her boss. Patrick followed her out the door and climbed in the passenger seat as she fired up the engine, jerking the transmission from reverse to drive none too smoothly.

Jane watched Lisbon's face as she continued the call, nodding to herself as she noted Minelli's directives and their intended destination.

Her boss was out-of-town for the weekend, but had been contacted by the Sacramento P.D. who were currently taping off the crime scene and interviewing the passerby who called in to report the sounds of a violent altercation in the Beamer Park neighborhood.

The uniformed officers had quickly discerned that paramedics were not required, and carefully avoided contaminating the crime scene where a macabre face drawn in blood now graced the living room wall, waiting instead for the arrival of the CBI.

Jane grimaced as Lisbon's eyes cut toward him anxiously, the consultant knowing full-well that his friend had no desire to inform him that Red John had likely struck again.

"Dammit," the normally self-possessed man muttered into his fist, his elbow propped against the window glass.

Lisbon hung up the call, sighing at the weight of the day's task.

"Red John was interrupted," Lisbon explained as she outlined the report. "He had to flee—that means he made mistakes," Lisbon nodded to reinforce her point. "We'll get him this time," she predicted, trying to bolster herself as much as she was Jane.

"Right," Jane nodded grimly, hoping that the senior agent had correctly predicted their success this time around.

oooooo

In his concern over the reemergence of Red John, Jane had not thought to ask Lisbon about their destination. But when she entered Beamer Park and made a left onto Palm, the air in the SUV thickened with Patrick Jane's agitation, his eyes frantically surveying the neighborhood, trying to recall the houses on the street he had not travelled in six years and hoping against hope that his assumptions were wrong.

Teresa Lisbon watched her colleague and friend with wide, concerned eyes, her attempts to extract the cause of his anxious mutterings and clenched fists having gone unanswered.

When Lisbon slowed the SUV in front of the 1920's Craftsman, now surrounded by yellow and black tape, Jane's agitation exploded into panic, the senior agent gasping at the force of her consultant's uncontrollable outburst.

"No! No! Goddammit!" Jane dented the padded dash with the heel of his hand, fighting his way out of the seatbelt and door locks to jump out of the vehicle before Lisbon had pulled to a stop.

"Jane! Jane!" Lisbon shouted, trying to restrain her friend before he barged in on the grisly murder scene alone.

Patrick Jane flew up the steps, the officer on duty unsuccessful in his attempt to halt his progress. Lisbon flashed her badge at the uniformed officer who nodded and grimaced, knowing the horrifying scene the agent was about to encounter.

Teresa Lisbon stepped into the bloody living room, frozen at the despair of Jane's shouted words.

Tears streaming down his face, alternately raking his hands forcefully through his hair and pounding his fist on the plaster wall of the entryway, Patrick Jane vehemently chastised the bodies that lay in pools of their own blood—a woman—petite, with long, soft brown hair, bound hands, and slashed throat; and a man—medium height, curly blonde hair and light eyes that remained open even in death.

"I told you to leave!" Jane groaned through his sobs. "Told you to get the hell out of Sacramento! It wasn't safe! I told you he'd come for you too!" Jane fell to his knees against the hardwood floor, Lisbon looking on, speechless at the scene before her.

"Why didn't you listen?" he pled to the unresponsive bodies.

Rigsby, Van Pelt and Cho entered through the front door, having been called out by dispatch to the scene. They were all visibly shaken by the Jane's uncharacteristic, violent breakdown. Pained sympathy was written on Rigsby and Van Pelt's faces, while even the stoic, unflappable Cho furrowed his brow in concern. Lisbon shook her head slightly, indicating her uncertainty over this turn of events. The three officers looked to their superior expectantly, hoping that she could discover the cause of Patrick Jane's devastation.

Moving to the floor and putting herself between Jane and the two bodies, Lisbon called out to the grieving consultant over and again, becoming more and more frightened as the turquoise-colored eyes seemed incapable of recognition, and for a moment looked as lifeless as the ones staring blindly at his own blood eddying around him.

"Jane! Jane!" Lisbon entreated, panic rising in her voice as the silent moments ticked away. Finally, she took his hands in her own, slowly rubbing her thumbs over his racing pulse point. In a voice, low and steady, the method practiced by the very man himself, Teresa calmly asked her question again.

"Patrick…," the petite brunette called to her friend. "I need you to tell me who they are…."

Blinking through swollen eyes, Patrick Jane's eyes met Teresa Lisbon's once again, though he voice sounded thin and unsteady.

"Daniel and Laura Ruskin…," he stated as if still dazed, "My brother-in-law and his wife…."


	3. Chapters 3 and 4

Ch 3

At Jane's revelation, Lisbon immediately ordered her team into action.

"Cho—make sure nobody enters or leaves without my consent. Rigsby and Van Pelt—I want photos of everything, as much physical evidence as you can find. Check under Daniel's fingernails and check his clothes for fibers and hair—it looks like he tried to defend himself. We might get lucky.

"You want us to wait for forensics, boss?" Rigsby questioned, as their team normally spent most of their time questioning witnesses and interrogating suspects rather than collecting physical evidence.

"God no—I don't want that prick Partridge anywhere near Jane right now. I want to keep a tight lid on everything we find here. Red John loves the notoriety. Let's not give him any more ammunition than he already has. I'll call in the coroner and schedule the clean-up, but that can wait…," Lisbon's face was etched with concern for her usually unflappable consultant.

"Is he going to be ok, boss?" Van Pelt queried in heartfelt concern for their colleague that had just suffered another horrific loss. Lisbon gently led Patrick from his spot on the floor and into the kitchen, hoping that his stupor might be broken by the change in venue.

"I hope so…."

oooooo

Lisbon grabbed a bottle of water from an opened case on the floor and encouraged Jane to take a drink, both sat on the floor, leaning against the refrigerator.

"I didn't know you had any family left," Lisbon prodded softly.

"Danny was my wife's only brother. Both of our parents were gone—I didn't have any siblings..."

For a moment, Jane's memory slipped into a past remote from the horror of the morning's events, "We used to do everything together—Thanksgiving, Christmas…big games…double dates…," Jane listed wryly. Lisbon listened intently, hoping to piece together Jane's story.

"There was no one else left—no cousins…aunts…uncles…. We were each other's family," Patrick explained before chuckling wryly as he continued, "We'd tease Daniel and Annie incessantly—Danny and I could've been twins…Laura was a ringer for my wife."

Lisbon flinched in pained sympathy at Jane walking in on the scene just moments ago—essentially, seeing himself soaked in blood as he relived the death of his own wife as well.

"We didn't really need any more family—we had each other," Jane sniffed deeply to try and steel himself for the rest of his tale. "Till the day of the funeral…Danny beat the hell out of me…and I just let him…didn't throw a single punch."

"Said I should be the one in that grave—not them…," the tears began to flow again as Lisbon clasped Jane's raw hand gently. "And I would've…would've traded places with them in a heartbeat."

Teresa wrapped her arm around the broken man, rubbing lightly on his shoulder.

"And… I tried to get Danny and Laura to leave Sacramento. I knew that Red John wouldn't leave us alone. Danny just told me to get out and never come back," Patrick closed his eyes as he looked down to the cold tile beneath them.

Wondering what had become of the Ruskin's after that, Lisbon inquired, "So…did they not have kids?"

"I don't know…," stammered Jane, trying to think clearly through his fog of despair. "It's been six years since…," Jane's voice trailed away as his body and mind finally synched together once more.

He scanned the countertop, brightly colored cups with pink lids rested in the dish rack. An open box of cheerios still stood, with a few stray cereal pieces littering the table, a high chair was stowed in the corner…

Patrick Jane took off like a shot, with Teresa Lisbon startled at his abrupt departure. The grieving man ran to the hallway throwing open doors in frantic succession. That is, until, he came to the last door on the right, where he stood, holding the door open, speechless for a moment.

When he again found his voice, stung with disbelief, Patrick called out softly,

"Lisbon?"

The senior agent followed her friend through the photo-lined hallway, but also silently stopped short, joining her stunned colleague at the door, no sound but the whir of the bedroom fan reaching their ears.

With wild blonde curls and bright eyes that tried to focus from the haze of a long night's sleep, looking so much like Jane's daughter at that age, it made his chest ache, fifteen-month-old Lily Anne Ruskin stood at the rail of her crib, finally meeting her uncle Patrick.

ooooo

ch 4

Large, pastel-colored letters decorated the wall, denoting the baby's name. When the two strangers at her bedroom door made no move to extract her from her crib, or more importantly—her wet diaper, Lily Anne began to whimper and then cry in earnest. Jane and Lisbon were both shaken from their stunned silence, and moved quickly toward the baby bed.

At the unexpected sound of a baby's cry, Grace Van Pelt rushed through the hallway, camera still in hand, and hovered at the open door, as she watched the CBI consultant pick up the little girl and hold her closely to his chest.

"A…a…baby," Grace stammered, amazed that anyone in the household had escaped the violent attack.

Trying to be of some use, Van Pelt inquired—

"You want me to call Protective Services, boss?"

"No!" shouted Jane, making Van Pelt blanch at the abrupt reply and eliciting a fresh round of tears from Lily at the harsh noise.

Lisbon wrapped one arm around Jane's back as the other stroked softly on Lily's, trying to soothe the toddler.

"Jane…."

Patrick Jane's tone remained harsh though his volume decreased markedly.

"Do you really think CPS can protect her from Red John?" Jane whispered vehemently to Lisbon, without waiting for a reply. "If he finds out that he left her alive, do you think he wouldn't hesitate in coming after her again?" Jane's eyes were wild with fear, his entire body coiled tightly in an effort to protect this little girl.

Tears began to well again in blue-green eyes. Lisbon's hand moved to cup Jane's tear-tracked cheek.

"She is the last family I have on this earth, Teresa," Patrick pled in a whisper. "I have to make sure she is safe. I won't turn her over to CPS. I won't let her out of my sight," Jane insisted, his voice panicked but resolved.

"I know…I know…," Lisbon smiled, running her thumb over Jane's cheek, so he might focus on her words instead of imagining a myriad of horrific outcomes.

Lisbon turned back to Van Pelt and gave her a small, apologetic smile to cover for Jane's outburst.

"No, Grace, no CPS…no word to anyone except Cho and Rigsby. When you're through," Lisbon nodded to the camera still in Grace's hand, "pull the SUV into the alley around back, Rigsby's truck, too," Lisbon continued. "Pack up the baby bed, clothes, cups, diapers…anything that would point to there being a baby here-nothing to let Red John know that he missed someone."

Van Pelt nodded in understanding at the senior officer's uncharacteristic dismissal of proper procedure. The redhead sighed and shifted nervously, hating to ask the question that still remained unresolved.

"Boss…when we get everything loaded up…where are we taking it?"

"My place," Lisbon stated unequivocally, "Jane and his niece will be staying with me."


	4. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for the reviews:lysjelonken, Lauri-mentalist, Beth-taurichick, lisbon69, and liquidcrystal94! Please keep the reviews coming. I promise there will be activities of the mature variety to come.**

**Also note—the characterizations of the Ruskin's are completely different than what we saw in 3x02. Similarities are in name only.**

Ch 5

"Well, you sure as hell can't take her back to your house," Lisbon stated baldly, tossing the wet diaper Jane just handed her into the pail, while making a mental note to dispose of the family's refuse elsewhere, as well.

Jane sighed at the veracity of Lisbon's pronouncement—his Spartan home with its grisly reminder of Red John still painted on the wall would be no place to care for the little girl.

"We'll take to her work with us…fix up that spare office next to mine for Lily. I think Minelli has a daughter-in-law whose last kid just started to school—maybe she could help babysit."

Jane put the toddler down so she could reach the toys she had eyed in a basket beside her bed.

"Bew…bew…,"Lily pulled a well-loved, floppy teddy from the basket, showing her treasure to Jane and Lisbon.

Lisbon squatted on the floor beside Lily.

"It's a very sweet bear," Teresa cooed and smiled, putting up a brave front for the little girl whose world had just been turned upside down, though she was not yet aware of that fact.

Agent Lisbon remained on the floor, still holding the gifted bear while Lily scurried back to the basket to find another toy. Feeling the soft brush of Jane's fingers on her shoulder, she looked up with wide, green eyes.

"Thank you, Teresa," Patrick whispered, his eyes as bare and guileless as she'd ever seen them. Rising from her spot on the floor, the fiercely protective and compassionate brunette wrapped her arms round the man, with whom, only a couple of hours before, she'd been planning a typical Sunday afternoon of DVDs and take out.

"You're welcome, Patrick," she said softly in return. Pulling back a bit to look her friend in the eyes, the senior agent stated, leaving no room to doubt her words, "We'll keep her safe. We will find Red John, and we will keep her safe."

Jane and Lisbon were both startled from their embrace by a loud pounding at the door and the thumping catch of the doorknob that Lily was trying to open. The toddler had apparently found a sippee cup in her basket that she had thrown down when empty, reminding her that she was thirsty after her long sleep.

"Mama…cup," Lily clanged the plastic cup against the door, expecting her mother to open it at any moment.

"Mama…juuus…,"Lily called again, causing both adults in the room to blink back tears.

Quickly covering his upset, Jane swept the little girl into his arms and distracted her with an airplane ride across the room.

"How about you let Uncle Patrick get you some juice?" Jane deposited the toddler into Lisbon's waiting arms, deftly substituting the favored bear for the empty cup, "You and Auntie Teresa," Jane quirked an eyebrow at the senior agent, who returned the presumption with a grin, "can start packing all your pretty clothes and toys to take with us."

Lily giggled as her Uncle Patrick tickled under her chin, then whipped around to look over Teresa's shoulder, hearing the blare of a car horn from behind the curtained window.

"I'm going to check out the living room on my way," Jane nodded grimly, mentally chastising himself for being incapable of doing so earlier.

"Are you sure?" Lisbon's sympathetic eyes looked into Jane's as she bounced the baby lightly.

Jane simply nodded and gave baby Lily a kiss atop her head and Lisbon's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Back in a minute…," Patrick Jane declared softly before pulling the door shut behind him.

ooooo

"A little thirsty there, Jane?" Cho quipped with his typical dry delivery, not meaning to be insensitive, but rather testing the waters with Jane, making certain that the consultant could assess the scene with any degree of objectivity.

The corners of Jane's mouth quirked up at Cho's question, he lifted the pink-lidded sippee as he would the teacup normally found in his hand and mentioned unnecessarily—

"This is for Lily," he smiled, indicating to the team that he was, once again, calm and controlled.

"I'm through here," Van Pelt stated, stowing away the electronics she'd utilized. "I'll take it to her," the redhead plucked the cup from Jane's fingers. "I'm just gonna' grab some bags under the sink and help Lisbon with Lily's clothes and stuff."

"Would you get her some cereal from the kitchen—she must be getting hungry," Jane called out.

"No problem."

"Thanks, Grace," Jane sighed and smiled slightly.

A few moments later, Lisbon pulled Lily's bedroom door closed, leaving the baby and Van Pelt on the bedroom floor, Grace keeping the toddler busy with her apple juice, cheerios, and stacking blocks that she would retrieve one at a time between fistfuls of dry o's and sips of the amber-colored juice that squeaked as she sipped through the tiny holes.

The senior agent stepped out onto the front porch to speak with the uniformed officers. Although under normal circumstances, Lisbon would've ripped into the officers on duty for their inadequate job of securing the crime scene and passing over the toddler sleeping in her crib, the senior agent was playing things very close to the vest.

Lisbon kept the information concerning Lily to herself, just in case some rookie fell under the spell of a pretty reporter…or worse. Lisbon didn't want to even consider the possibility of a chink in the armor of any agency involved. Nevertheless, she was tight-lipped with the details of the double-homicide.

After retrieving the witness' statements from the investigating policeman, Lisbon encouraged the officers to head back to their station, informing them that her team was still collecting evidence and would be a couple more hours, yet.

The witness's statement wasn't the most illuminating one she'd ever seen—the passing runner had heard screams coming from the Ruskin home, and seeing as he was without any sort of weapon to defend himself, quickly ran back to his own home, six houses down the block to call the police. By the time the dispatcher had finished with his call—Red John was gone.

Lisbon and Jane would return to question the witness tomorrow—even though it went against her better judgment to wait—today there were more important matters to attend to. The witness couldn't see through the curtained window and could offer no help with the physical description of the assailant, so Teresa decided that their time would be better spent in getting Lily moved and settled in.

As the uniformed officers turned to go, Lisbon stepped back into the Ruskin home while her new roommate was trying to get a bead on the serial killer who was plaguing Sacramento.

ooooo

Armed with an empty cardboard box, Jane began the hateful task of gathering up important papers and family memorabilia that Lily would need or want.

While the other members of the team were busy with packing up the toddler's necessities and keeping Lily entertained and out of the living room, Jane surveyed Danny and Laura's bedroom, gathering their wedding rings, watches, favorite perfume and cologne…. He boxed up Laura's handbag, bedside photos, and an heirloom quilt before laying the weighty load on the bed.

Teresa slipped into the bedroom to check on Patrick's progress after phoning Minelli to update him on the unique circumstances of the case. Inquiring about the possibility of his daughter-in-law babysitting at the office, and maintenance refurbishing the space adjacent to hers, Minelli said he would check into it, and he'd drop by later that evening. Calling forensics soon thereafter, Lisbon insisted that the utmost discretion be used in the Ruskin case.

Eyeing the items inside the cardboard container and smiling sadly, the senior agent sat on the bed, careful not to upset its contents as Jane searched through the bedside tables for any significant items to salvage for his niece.

"After I spoke to Minelli, I called Dr. Rayburn on his cell…," Lisbon began, "asked him to just bring Casey and Freeman with him. I let him know that since this was a Red John case; he was to bring the files back to me personally—no mailroom, no underlings…"

"No irksome ghouls?" Jane quipped.

Lisbon scoffed lightly, "Nope…I told Rayburn the fewer people in the loop—the better. And anyway, Cho's going to wait for forensics—I want to get Lily out of here before they arrive."

"Absolutely," Jane agreed, dropping to his knees to give a quick glance under the box springs before moving to rifle through the drawers on the opposite side of the bed.

"Rigsby and Cho loaded up her furniture; Grace finished up with the clothes and toys. Rigsby even had the presence of mind to look through the cabinets for her favorite foods…found a cooler for the milk and juice," Lisbon listed the mundane details of the team's efforts. "Cho located their laptop and digital camera, Grace can hack the computer for account numbers and contacts when we get back to the office."

"Have they found a lockbox…fire safe…anything that would contain legal documents?" Jane inquired, wanting to at least find Lily's birth certificate before they left.

"They didn't mention it—did you try the closet already?" Lisbon asked, rising from the bed and heading toward the darkened walk-in, switching on the overhead light as she entered.

"Hadn't made it there, yet," Jane explained, shutting the drawer that hadn't offered up anything of value and moving to join Lisbon in her search of Danny and Laura's closet.

As Lisbon shoved aside shoes from the closet floor, and Jane poked through stacks of sweaters and handbags, their search was finally rewarded when Jane's agitated displacement of several shoeboxes caused a metal container to thud against the closet wall.

"Teresa, I think I found something," Jane exclaimed with a tinge of relieved excitement in his voice. Reaching up blindly, the blonde consultant raked the metal box across the wooden shelf, ignoring the cascade of sweaters that tumbled down in the process.

Jane made his way quickly to the dresser, depositing the lock box on top. Lisbon followed after tossing the sweaters back onto the closet shelf and joined Jane in studying the sealed container.

We've got bolt cutters in the back of the truck," Lisbon suggested, her words shaking Jane out of his dark thoughts.

"No need, really," Jane sighed, turning the barrel to 5-1-5 and sliding the steel latch to the right. Patrick Jane exhaled a relieved breath as the catch sprung open and the seam of the metal box gave way.

"Their anniversary date," Jane supplied, followed by Lisbon's short nod.

"Well, hopefully Lily's birth certificate is in here," Lisbon encouraged as Jane began sifting through the contents.

"Right on top," Jane replied, automatically handing the newer document to the senior agent.

Lisbon thought themselves rather fortunate at finding the papers so quickly, but her brow furrowed as Jane kept digging through titles and insurance policies. Those moments he had just spent studying the dusty box reminded the grieving consultant of the last time he had seen this container and the contents that might still reside within.

"What are you looking for?" Lisbon inquired, though Jane seemed not to hear her.

Patrick Jane held his breath as he unfolded the notarized documents. His eyes closed briefly in thankfulness as Teresa nudged closer to gauge the importance of what the blonde consultant was holding.

"You're still named in their will?"Lisbon inquired, a little incredulous after Jane's six-year estrangement from Danny and Laura.

"Annie and I had just amended our will after Charlotte was born. Naturally, we had chosen Danny and Laura as Charlotte's guardians and executors of the estate.

"Even though they didn't have any kids yet, my brother-in-law had just started his I.T. consulting business, landed a few big clients, and bought this place," Patrick smiled sadly at the still room, then back down at the creased papers. His fingers traced over the typewritten letters, designating Patrick or Angela Jane to be the sole beneficiaries of the estate, entrusted with managing all property, debts, and taxes; making final arrangements for the deceased; and providing for the guardianship of any future children….

Patrick's breath hitched at the sight of his wife's name on the document, recalling the by-gone days when the two families were inseparable, though those happy memories were quickly displaced with tragic ones—the loss of Annie and Charlotte…the brutal fistfight…his dismissal from Danny and Laura's lives…all culminating in that morning's tragic discovery.

"I don't know if Danny forgot about it…," Patrick began, the last will and testament tipping up slightly in his grip, "or if there just wasn't anyone else left."

Teresa gently took the papers from Patrick's hand and placed them back in the box, closing it quietly.

"Well…," the petite brunette shook her head faintly and sighed in acceptance, "whatever the reason…it just makes it easier for us to protect Lily, doesn't it?" Teresa asked rhetorically.

Patrick Jane nodded softly in understanding before lifting the metal box and placing it with the other items he'd collected.

From the other side of the hall, they heard Lily slamming her cup against the closed door once more, shouting, "Go! Go!" as a testament to the boredom of being cooped up in her now-empty bedroom even as Rigsby and VanPelt tried to distract her with goofy faces and simple games.

"Are you ready?" Teresa asked softly, her hand sliding up between Patrick's shoulders, hunched over the cardboard box that held the remains of Danny and Laura Ruskin's life together.

From his stiff-armed stance, Patrick Jane lifted the box and smiled softly at Teresa Lisbon.

"Yeah…," he breathed out, giving one last glance to the room and its ghosts, "let's take Lily home."

00000

As Cho scanned the backyard for any onlookers, and Rigsby latched the car seat in place, Grace carried out the last box of toddler toiletries from the bathroom and Lily's diaper bag, stowing them in the rear of the SUV.

Cho gave the 'all clear' from the kitchen door, signaling for their safe exit from the house. Lisbon proceeded with the weighty box, while Lily and her Uncle Patrick, highly skilled in all forms of distraction, emerged from her room, playing a long game of peek-a-boo with her favorite blanket as they passed the horrific scene in the living room.

Patrick Jane gave a last long sigh as he looked over his shoulder, silently saying goodbye to Danny and Laura Ruskin. As Lily moved to yank the blanket away, Jane was once again torn from his melancholy thoughts, and quickly swept Lily out into the sunny, autumn afternoon.

0000

With Cho remaining to meet forensics, the loaded-down truck with Rigsby at the wheel and Van Pelt sitting close to his side drove out of the backyard and backed up the alley, leaving room for their boss to exit and lead the way.

In the SUV, Lisbon, as usual, took the driver's seat, with Jane sitting shotgun, and a wide-eyed toddler in the backseat, craning her neck to note her displaced belongings. The senior agent, her grieving consultant, and an orphaned toddler pulled out into the alley, heading toward Lily Ruskin and Patrick Jane's new home.


	5. Chapters 6 through8

**Thanks so much to ****All-things-kinky****, ****Saavik13****, ****Ella Beau****, ****Jisbon4ever****, ****razmend****, ****lysjelonken****, ****LittleMender****, ****Just Mosie**** for all your supportive reviews! Please keep them coming!**

**Today, you get three—count 'em—three chapters for the price of one! So…grab a snack…put your feet up, and enjoy. **

**And in today's chapters, we'll get a little taste of Jisbon-y goodness:P**

Ch 6,

"What is she eating?" Lisbon eyeballed Rigsby as he placed more tiny bits of pizza on Lily's highchair tray.

"Um…pepperoni and pineapple," the stammering agent replied sheepishly.

"What happened to the turkey noodle dinner I heated up for her?"

Wayne Rigsby made a face at the mushy concoction he set on the far side if the kitchen counter once he smelled the so-called meal as it came out of the microwave.

"She didn't want it," Rigsby awkwardly claimed. "She wanted pizza, instead," the hulking agent reasoned, trying to avoid his boss's wrath.

Large green eyes rolled toward the ceiling as Lily reached for another tidbit of pizza.

"I thought you were on baby bed construction duty?" Lisbon narrowed her eyes at Rigsby, thinking he had been lured away by the promise of leftover pizza.

"Minelli and Jane kicked me out—boss said I screwed one of the rails on the wrong way. Jane told me to go put these little plastic covers in the electrical sockets," Rigsby flattened his palm to reveal a cache of the child-proofing staples.

"So why are they still in your hand?" Lisbon snarked, causing Rigsby to flush and deposit the remainder of his pizza onto his paper plate and rise from the kitchen table with a sigh, heading dutifully toward the outlets.

"Yes, boss."

Teresa chuckled to herself, knowing she should feel a little guilty about teasing Rigsby, but decided that a nice, lengthy stake-out with Van Pelt would make up for it.

Teresa's attention was suddenly drawn back to the curly-haired blonde in the high chair, the cup fisted in her tiny hand banging loudly against the plastic tray.

"Mama…jus! Cup…jus!" Lily exclaimed, continuing to pound out her wishes against the pizza-stained plastic.

Lisbon's face contracted into an expression of pained guilt before catching herself and forcing a weak smile to her lips.

"I'll get you some juice, sweetheart," Teresa gave Lily a sympathetic smile, though the grieved expression was lost on the young girl.

Lisbon was unaware that Grace Van Pelt was watching from her position on the kitchen floor where she had been deftly screwing in cabinet door latches.

"Boss…may I say something?" Grace hesitated, bringing the screwdriver to rest in her lap as she sat on the floor in front of the kitchen-sink cabinet.

Teresa Lisbon straightened her stance almost defensively, but noting the redhead's earnest expression, she softened, willing to listen.

With a small, self-deprecating smile, Teresa replied, "Grace, you're sitting on my kitchen floor on Sunday night, screwing safety latches onto the cabinet doors," the petite brunette sighed. "Just…say what you need to say."

Grace glanced down, rolling the small tool in her hand nervously. Grace's cousin and her husband, Christy and Sean, adopted a little boy three years ago. Scotty had lost his mother to an aggressive cancer shortly after he'd turned two, and his father, a volunteer fire fighter, to a three alarm blaze in a neighboring township. Sean had volunteered along with Scotty's dad, promising to care for the young boy as he held vigil at the dying man's bedside.

Grace recalled the family's difficulties and adjustments, often exacerbated by the frequent explanations to curious, casual acquaintances and the sympathetic grimaces they would receive thereafter. Grace was often astounded by the well-meaning but perfunctory condolences that only seemed to lengthen the time it took for Scotty and his new family to bond while subjected to a steady diet of sad countenances and pitying sighs.

Grace knew that Lily might likely have to deal with such unprovoked reminders of her loss for the rest of her life—she certainly didn't need her caregivers wallowing in remorse and self-reproach. And if Lisbon's compunction was already obvious, Grace hated to think of Jane stewing in his own regret come two a.m. So, as much as Grace did not want to point out her boss's afflicted expression of grief, she felt compelled to speak up on the toddler's behalf.

"I know you mean well, boss…but…Lily doesn't need you to feel sorry for her—she just needs you to love her," Van Pelt put it simply.

Lisbon opened her mouth to reply, but then refrained, realizing the truth of Van Pelt's advice and nodding resignedly.

"She's going to want her mommy and daddy," Grace reminded matter-a-factly, having witnessed the senior agent and her consultant's silent, anguished exchanges each time the little girl had called for her parents that day, "and now, it's up to you and Jane to be that for her."

"Jane's guilt over taunting Red John, and your guilt over not catching him yet won't bring Danny and Laura back."

Teresa blew out a breath and leaned her head back against an upper cabinet, rattling the dishes inside. Grace had been afraid of offending her superior officer with her insights, but the senior agent seemed to be taking Van Pelt's words to heart.

"I know…," Lisbon conceded. "Old habits die hard, I guess," the brunette commented wryly, as consolation was a regular part of her workday, the senior agent not only needing to empathize with the grieving families but often making up for Jane's bluntness as well.

"A lot of changes in one day. It may take me a little while to perfect the whole mom thing," she admitted to the junior agent.

"You did volunteer," Grace reminded with a smile.

"That I did," Teresa conceded, a genuine warmth returning to her face. Trying to shake off the plaguing guilt, Teresa refilled the cup and gave it to Lily.

"Tomorrow night, missy, it's turkey noodle dinner for you," Lisbon declared playfully, offering a quick kiss to the top of Lily's head.

"Fank ooo," the tiny blonde cooed, taking a long squeaky sip from the lidded cup.

Teresa smiled at the automatic though polite response, "You're very welcome," the petite brunette played along.

"Teresa, would you come up and show us where you want the furniture?" Patrick called from the top of the stairs.

"Be right there…," Lisbon answered in return. "Grace, will you watch Lily for a minute?"

"Sure, boss."

"Rigsby, you can come out from behind the sofa now," Lisbon called out without bothering to turn around as she strode toward the stairs.

Sheepish round eyes appeared from behind the couch where the massive agent had hunkered down during his girlfriend's unsolicited advice.

An apologetic shrug from the pretty redhead was all the explanation Wayne Rigsby would receive.

oooooo

Teresa walked into the spare bedroom, blinking in astonishment at the sight of Patrick Jane with a ratchet in hand, skillfully tightening the bolts on Lily's bed. She was equally amazed at the sight of Jane and Minelli working together in concert to reassemble the whitewashed furnishings moved from the Ruskin's home earlier that day.

"Nice job, guys," Teresa praised as the two men smoothly lowered the railing, verifying that they had indeed installed all the hardware correctly.

"Did you doubt us?" Jane responded sunnily, masking the pain of the day's events, as Lisbon well knew. She didn't call him on it though in front of their boss, planning to later share with her new roommate Van Pelt's words of wisdom.

"Not at all," Teresa smiled and shook her head lightly, her eyes bright and responsive.

"Where would you like the bed, Teresa?" Minelli inquired, ready to get Lily's new room squared away.

Teresa scanned the room, silently weighing aesthetics, security and overall toddler happiness.

"Let's put it against the long wall…changing table to the right…and the dresser under the window," Teresa pointed definitively, taking Grace's advice and letting herself quietly enjoy the moment as Lily's room started to come together.

While Jane and Minelli continued to rearrange the furnishings according to Teresa's whims, the senior agent plucked a sheet from the pile of quickly-packed bedding and began to cover Lily's mattress. After topping it with the small comforter and tying on the padded bumpers, Teresa smiled with simple pride, reveling in a modicum of maternal accomplishment, trying to trump her nervousness with tiny victories.

Patrick joined her with a mouthful of nails and hammer in hand, driving one halfway into the wall so that he might hang the light pink 'L' in its spot. Teresa slid the pencil from behind Jane's ear, measuring from the hangar on the 'I' to the spot where the next nail needed to be driven.

Minelli finished gathering his tools except for the hammer in Jane's hand and the folding carpenter's rule in Teresa's. Minelli chose this moment of distraction to inform the pair of his next order.

"You two need to stay home for the next couple of days," Minelli declared, his tone not inviting argument although Lisbon and Jane seemed to ignore this fact.

"What?"Lisbon's jaw dropped.

Jane nearly choked on the mouthful of nails before succeeding at spitting them into his hand.

"No way, Virgil," Jane's eyes steeled to gray in determination.

"We're interviewing the witness who phoned in the 9-1-1 call," Jane insisted, trying to explain the necessity of their presence Monday morning.

"Cho can handle the interview," Virgil determined, "I don't want you two anywhere near the crime scene tomorrow—Red John may be watching the scene and waiting for you to return. You are not going to give him the satisfaction or the opportunity to do you harm."

"Virgil!" Lisbon was astounded by what she perceived as her boss's lack of faith in her abilities.

"Both of you are too emotionally invested in this case, too focused…you will be so intent on looking for any scrap of evidence that you may not see Red John until it is too late."

"Well, I still need to come in—Rayburn is bringing me the forensics report himself."

"_If_ it is ready tomorrow, which I doubt, I will bring it over here personally," Minelli assured. "And besides, you two have the most important role in this whole case—taking care of that little girl downstairs and keeping her safe from Red John."

"Yes, sir…," both mumbled and sighed, feeling sufficiently redressed at Minelli's words.

"And anyway," Minelli softened, "the two of you need to spend some quality time with Lily here at home—not at the office. The three of you have dealt with a great many changes in less than twenty-four hours, and whether or not you agree with me right now, you need some time to sort all that out," Minelli cleared his throat, uncomfortable at sounding a little too much like a pop-culture psychologist at the moment.

"Besides that…Dana and the kids won't be here until at least Wednesday," Minelli reminded.

"Ah, yes…you have a point," Jane conceded, having forgotten for a moment that taking Lily to a crime scene in a Baby Bjorn wasn't a particularly workable solution.

Teresa flushed at her oversight, having not only that morning's double homicide on her mind but also the reality of suddenly becoming a mother to a toddler she'd never met before today.

"Please tell Dana how much we appreciate her pulling up stakes to come help us with Lily," Teresa added, embarrassed that she hadn't expressed her gratitude earlier.

"Well, with Gil on loan to the New York City division, Dana was ready to come back to Sacramento. Gil's transfer finally came through, so as soon as he finishes up back east, they would be looking for a place here, anyway," Minelli shrugged happy to have his two grandsons at his house for a few months.

"Let me at least pay for their moving expenses," Jane volunteered earnestly; like Lisbon, sufficiently reminded that other people's lives were also turned upside down by the day's events.

"Don't worry about it," Minelli held up his hand in refusal. "FBI's covering the cost—Dana just has to withdraw the kids from school and close out the utilities. She and the kids will pack up their necessities, and the rest will go into storage," Minelli explained, watching Teresa and Jane exchange guilty looks over the San Francisco Minelli's sudden upheaval.

"Would you two quit with that," their boss groaned, weary of the shame that hung on these two like a hair shirt. "Dana is moving here because she wants to. The boys are excited about coming to stay with their 'Pappi,' so you two quit trying to spoil my fun," Minelli said with a gruff smile.

"Yes, sir," Jane and Lisbon responded, trying to stifle a smile.

"Dana was FBI up until she got pregnant with Dominic, so I can't think of anyone better to watch Lily," Virgil assured. Looking at the stalled progress on the pastel letters, Minelli just shrugged and waved his hand, "Just bring me the hammer and ruler in a few days," Minelli decided, ready to head home. Gathering his toolbox, he turned back to face his employees, "Good luck to you two. I'll see you later in the week."

Teresa and Patrick followed Minelli down the stairs.

"Night, night, sweetheart," Minelli cooed at the toddler, softly patting her golden curls. "Bye-bye…bye-bye," he waved, receiving a babbled goodbye in return, Lily's spread fingers closing into a tiny fist. The rest of the team worked hard to suppress their laughter to see the chief's antics. As Lily's attention turned back to Cho, Minelli's feigned gruff demeanor returned, casting a wary eye around the room for anyone who dared to laugh.

"See the rest of you people bright and early in the morning," Minelli ordered, a chorus of goodbyes following him out the door.

Cho, who had come in from installing closed circuit cameras around the windows and doors had held Lily's attention for the last several minutes. She had developed a great affinity for pushing and pulling on the stoic man's face, making him smile or frown only to have her handiwork inevitably return to its neutral position.

"Cho…Cho…Cho," Lily recited as she manipulated his facial features.

"Well maybe 'Uncle Patrick' and 'Aunt Teresa' won't be too far behind," Jane commented with wry humor.

"Or we could just change our names to Cho," Lisbon shrugged, then couldn't help but crack a smile at Jane's broad grin and chuckle.

"We'll have to book you on Letterman," Patrick teased.

Grace and Wayne emerged from the kitchen where they had finished cleaning and putting away the food and toddler dishes brought from the Ruskin's.

"We're gonna call it a night," Van Pelt announced, anxious to have a few moments alone with Rigsby before work the next day.

"Yeah, me too, Lily forces me to smile any more—I might get stuck like that," Cho delivered in all seriousness.

Lily patted her hands against Cho's cheeks, chanting his name over and again.

Suddenly, Cho gave Lily an exaggerated smile with brows shooting up to his hairline and eyes as wide as they would go. He waited until he had elicited a squeal of delight before lapsing back to his utterly neutral countenance.

"One for the road, kid," Cho nodded once, ruffling Lily's sunny curls before rising from the sofa.

Lisbon fidgeted where she stood, not relishing the next bit of news for her team.

"Um…just to let you know, Minelli told Jane and me we couldn't come to the office until Dana arrived," Teresa explained, not volunteering Minelli's additional order for the three of them to bond as a family.

"He thinks Lily should have some time to adjust to her new home," Patrick added, offering a small smile as he looked to the toddler, exploring Auntie Teresa's CD collection.

"Well, we'll call you after we interview the witness tomorrow," Cho assured.

"You need anything—diapers, groceries, take-out—just let us know," Rigsby offered.

"Thanks, Rigsby," Lisbon nodded, followed by Jane's gracious smile at the departing couple.

A wide yawn escaped tiny lips as the three team members headed for home. When the door shut behind Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt, Lily was reminded of the late hour and noticed that wherever her parents might be, it was time for them to return and take her back home.

The toddler ran awkwardly to the closed front door, slapping her hand against the smooth wood and calling out fruitlessly for her mommy and daddy.

Jane and Lisbon glanced nervously at each other, frozen for a moment before rushing to the door and painting on cheerful faces in hopes of distracting the toddler. Jane deftly scooped up the tiny blonde into his arms.

"What do you say, Lily, ready for a bath?"

"Baf, baf," Lily chanted in response.

"Does Auntie Teresa have some bubble bath we could use?"

"I think we might be able to find some," Lisbon played along as the three of them turned from the door to head upstairs.

ooooo

Ch 7

"Bu,bu,bu…," Lily patted the fluffy, white bubbles, laughing at the tiny specks of foam that flew in the faces of the people kneeling beside the tub.

Teresa wiped away the bubbles bearding Lily's cheeks and chin.

"There's our pretty girl," she cooed, giving herself up to the magnetic draw of the lively toddler that she now shared with Jane.

Patrick, smiling at the uncharacteristic lilt in Lisbon's voice, was relieved that Teresa's attachment to the little girl had been nearly as instantaneous as his own.

"What do you think, Aunt Teresa, is Lily all squeaky-clean?" Jane used his forefinger to flick off a dab of bubbles from the toddler's nose.

"One more rinse and she'll be through," Teresa poured a cupful of bathwater over the rest of her soapy skin before Lily's Uncle Patrick picked up the dripping toddler and wrapped her in a fluffy towel.

"I'll get her ready for bed if you want to go ahead and take your bath," Jane offered, seeing as Lisbon was already fairly soaked following her first attempt at bathing a toddler.

Lisbon grinned at her soaked sleeves and shirtfront. "I think I'll take you up on your offer," Lisbon agreed, placing a kiss atop damp blonde curls before Lily and Patrick closed the door behind them.

ooooo

Standing in the crib, wearing a dry diaper and clean tee shirt, Lily studied her new room, her face scrunching in confusion at the familiar furnishings in an unusual location. Her uncle busied himself with sorting out a bagful of clothes that hadn't yet made it to the dresser drawers, as he hadn't yet located proper pajamas for his young niece. His attention was drawn from his task by a tiny hand smacking the wall above the crib and frustrated words coming from the perplexed fifteen-month-old.

"No! No!" Lily chastised as she smacked the wall, her brow furrowed crossly.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Patrick went to Lily's crib, trying to figure out what was disturbing the little girl. His eyes followed Lily's stare to the lone 'L' and 'I' that hung on the wall.

"Ah, yes, Uncle Patrick didn't quite finish his job, did he?"

Lily's grumpy demeanor didn't change until the blonde consultant picked up hammer and nails once again.

"Well, I was going to save it till tomorrow, but since you insist," Patrick teased, lining up a lavender-striped 'L' with its fellow letters.

A small, soft smile graced Patrick Jane's face when he came to the flowery yellow 'A.'

"Your cousin's middle name was Anne, did you know that?" Patrick inquired as if Lily might respond with an appropriate answer.

"She would have loved you," he smiled with shining eyes, continuing to nail the letters to the wall as he spoke. "She would've built sandcastles with you…and played in the waves with you…taught you to play 'Chopsticks,'" Jane chuckled through the tears now streaming down his face.

Listening through the thin walls, Lisbon's own tears mixed with the warm water of the bath that surrounded her, overhearing Jane telling his niece of things that were not to be.

Placing the blue, polka-dotted 'E' in its spot, Jane turned to stow the hammer on the dresser, swiping at his wet face before turning back to his niece, raising her arms to be picked up from her crib.

Jane took Lily in his arms, lightly swaying with the little girl, grinning at her completed name.

"How does that look, princess?"Patrick asked, answered only by a drowsy head that lay against his chest.

Jane turned off the overhead light, hoping that the darkened room would encourage sleepiness.

The light hum of an old Beatles song faded on Patrick's lips as the dim bedroom became Jane's confessional. He sat down in the worn rocker with Lily nuzzled against his tee shirt-covered chest. The sleepy toddler's plaintive whimpers for her daddy threatened a resurgence of Jane's tears, but a deep breath from the uncle that bore an uncanny resemblance to the missing father steeled the grieving man to say what was foremost in his heart.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you today…for what happened to your parents. I know it will be a long time before you understand exactly why they're gone," Patrick continued to rock the toddler, his throat tightening as he continued, "and I hope that when that time comes…that you won't hate me because of it."

Teresa Lisbon's heart ached for Jane all over again as she listened to his fearful concerns. She brought the soaked washcloth to her face, hoping the damp warmth would relieve the stuffiness brought on by weeping for her tormented friend.

Patrick Jane fought for the resolve that helped to buoy him through each day.

"But, I promise you, Lily," he began earnestly, as though the tiny tot could make sense of his vow.

"Things will be different this time…," Patrick declared. "You and your Aunt Teresa…well, you are the most important people in the world to me, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you happy and safe."

The brunette sitting in her lukewarm bath stilled so the sloshing water couldn't drown out the consultant's words.

"And as far as your Aunt Teresa goes—you'll have to take it a little easy on her. She's new to all this mom business," Patrick smiled as he continued with the nearly hypnotic rhythm of the rocking chair.

"But, honestly, you couldn't have found anyone more perfect…," Jane promised softly, his words to the toddler spilling forth in uncharacteristic transparency.

Teresa sat perfectly still in the cooling water, listening intently to Jane's estimation of her maternal skills.

"She's tenacious…feisty…," Jane smiled as he stared into the middle of the darkened room, before remembering his audience, "and, although she keeps it pretty well guarded…she's got this huge heart. No matter how many stupid stunts I've pulled, she always seems to forgive me," Jane confided in the sleepy-eyed toddler before noticing that the sounds from the bathroom had grown as silent as the resting baby in his arms.

Smiling, he couldn't resist rankling Teresa just a little, "Personally, I think your Aunt Teresa has a soft spot for mischievous, curly-haired blondes…,"

A muffled, sarcastic "Ha!"sounded through the bedroom walls.

Chuckling, Patrick continued, "and apparently she's a skilled eavesdropper as well," he teased, listening to Lisbon finish up her bathing in earnest once she'd been caught.

"I guess you'd better leave most of the mischief up to me, then…," Jane grinned, continuing to rock Lily until she suckled at her bottom lip. Kissing wispy blonde curls, he laid the toddler in her bed, and with one more check to make sure the windows were locked tight and curtains secured, Patrick Jane looked forward to a nice, hot shower and his familiar spot on Teresa Lisbon's couch.

ooooo

Noting that the bathroom was damp and dark and Teresa's bedroom door was shut so that she could dress, Patrick jogged down the stairs for a pair of knit boxers from his gym bag after popping his pajamas into the dryer. He'd often managed to sneak his laundry in with hers, though it was not a huge imposition considering most of his clothes went to the cleaners, anyway. He would frequently catch Teresa grinning at the boxers she would end up folding even though she swore every week that, at forty-one, he was quite capable of doing his own laundry.

"_But they're so much softer when you wash them," Jane would whine playfully, flashing Lisbon his puppy-eyed pout. In response, Lisbon would merely sigh and roll her eyes, plunking down the tidily-folded undergarment on top of the stack._

_Grinning broadly, Patrick would offer a friendly peck to Lisbon's cheek along with a hearty plateful of Belgian waffles and crispy little sausages for her breakfast as compensation. _

ooooo

Jane let the pounding jets of the shower work at his neck and shoulders. Alone for the first time today, Jane's brain swam with the weight of the day's events—the grisly reminder of Red John, the ever-present nemesis he'd spent years trying to destroy... the murders of Danny and Laura….Tomorrow he would talk with Lisbon about their funeral…ask her to help him decide what Lily would want—a grave at which to mourn or ashes spread some place peaceful.

Their house…their car…insurance policies…Jane audibly groaned when he thought of all the decisions that would be required in the next few days. Left up to him, Jane would be apt to walk away from it all—leaving the 1920's craftsman as another gruesome reminder of well-deserved vengeance, but now, there was Lily to think about, and he didn't want the little girl to grow up with that pall hanging over her, didn't want someone else to suffer for his hubris…at least any more than she would already.

Shutting his eyes as he faced the water jets, Patrick couldn't help but see the red smiling face that still graced the wall of his bedroom in Malibu. Normally, after a case like today's, Jane would have driven for hours to his beach-front home, paying his penance on the thin, bare mattress. Lisbon's calls would have gone unanswered, Jane not leaving the macabre scene until he received Teresa's text, threatening to drive down to Malibu and drag him out of his self-made mausoleum.

Lily changed all that. Jane's promise to love and protect her couldn't be fulfilled if he were running away to wallow in guilt. Hell—even brooding all night on the battered couch at the CBI would have to end—Lisbon would deservedly kick his ass for failing to come home.

Home.

Jane grinned as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. It had been years since he truly had a place to call home. His nomadic adolescence as the carnival 'boy-wonder' offered little more than a moldy striped tent during working hours and a shoddy travel trailer late at night.

His late wife had tried to bring warmth to the glass and steel monstrosity he had insisted on buying when the television money started rolling in, but the self-professed psychic's drive for fame and fortune meant that little of his time was actually spent there.

He had even let the lease lapse on his shoebox-sized apartment downtown. As he rarely slept there, and its contents consisted of a single bed and a teakettle, Jane decided that it wasn't worth the bother to make an appointment with the landlord and sign a new lease.

Most nights were either spent on a sofa at work or in Lisbon's living room, depending on the extent to which he had pissed her off during the course of the day. Patrick Jane generally only slept on a decent bed when the team was on assignment out of town and staying in a motel.

Jane grinned at the thought that Lisbon would finally be forced to give up some closet space…maybe a drawer or two. Maybe his wandering had finally come to an end…maybe he…and his boxers…had finally found a place to call home.

Ooooo

Ch 8

After shutting off the steamy bathroom's exhaust fan and turning out the light, Patrick Jane was alerted to Lily's plaintive wails coming from Teresa's bedroom. His mind racing with panicked thoughts, the permanent house-guest burst into Lisbon's bedroom, clad merely in a pair of boxers, the trip downstairs to the dryer thwarted at the toddler's cries.

"What happened?" Jane breathlessly inquired s Teresa squinted against the glare of the hallway light.

"The neighbors car alarm went off," Teresa sighed in irritation. "She woke up in a strange place, with strange people, and she's been like this ever since."

Lisbon wanted to cry, herself, nothing that she had tried—rocking, singing, patting—nothing had seemed to soothe the frantic toddler, trying to flee Teresa's bedroom to go search for her errant parents.

Lily called out to the father she saw silhouetted in the doorway, only to produce a fresh round of tears to discover it was not whom she had expected.

"Oh, Lily…," Jane cooed in soft, soothing tones, sliding onto the empty side of the bed, stroking Lily's back in long, slow movements.

"You're safe…you're happy…you're sleepy…."

Lily wailed again, searching for an escape route as she shook her head against her uncle's suggestion.

"Jane, you are _not_ trying to hypnotize the baby, are you?"Lisbon asked, appalled but not entirely surprised.

"It's not working," Jane answered absently, unaware of Lisbon's disdain. "She's too strong-willed," he conceded with a sigh.

"Jane!" Lisbon hissed in a whisper.

Patrick's mind raced to think of all the tricks he and his wife had used to get Charlotte to sleep when she was small. Deciding on a plan of action, even though the guilt over the temporary deception would sting, Jane slid his feet to the floor.

"Jane, where are you going? Don't you dare lea-," Lisbon panicked at the thought of trying to placate the sobbing toddler.

"I'll be right back, Teresa," Jane replied with purpose and patience.

The blonde consultant flicked off the hall light and stepped into the bathroom, where the senior agent could hear Jane rummaging around in the toiletries box brought in from the Ruskin's.

Seeing the glow of the bathroom light once again extinguished, Teresa Lisbon sighed, trying fruitlessly to soothe the frayed nerves of the small child in her care who seemed to want nothing to do with the stand-in parent.

The mingled scents of woods and spice preceded the blonde consultant's reappearance at Lisbon's bedroom door. The freshly applied cologne was similar to the one her friend usually wore, though the new fragrance was more reminiscent of a deep forest where Patrick's usual scent contained a hint of salty sea spray.

Lisbon was suddenly aware that she knew _way _too much about how Patrick Jane typically smelled, but was wrenched out of her self-chastisement by the railing sob of the distressed orphan.

Patrick Jane's golden curls glinted off the scant moonlight filtering in from the bedroom blinds as he returned to Teresa's door. He clutched at some object presumably retrieved from the bathroom.

"Jane, what are we going to do?"Teresa questioned in weary exasperation, inexperienced as she was in soothing frantic toddlers. "Nothing seems to help," Teresa despaired with a groan.

"Take your top off," Jane instructed matter-a-factly and without hesitation.

"_Excuse me?"_ Teresa replied in genuine surprise and disbelief.

"Lisbon, I know you are wearing a bra underneath…and the letters on the jersey are all hard and scratchy," Jane's face contracted in sympathy for the tender face held against the stiff fabric and thread.

As Patrick moved closer, Lisbon took notice of the bare chest that loomed at the side of her bed, the patch of fine blonde hair golden against Jane's well-defined, tanned chest. How the hell the man could look like that when he spent most of his day lying on a couch, she would never figure out.

She acquiesced with Patrick's request, raising up slightly to pull her brother's jersey up and over her head. Jane was right—Lisbon had donned a soft, unstructured bra after her bath, hoping to preserve a little modesty in case she and Jane were up during the night tending to Lily. She tossed the jersey onto the floor, then looked at Jane expectantly, waiting for him to reveal whatever hidden secret he knew.

The blonde consultant couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face and he climbed into Teresa's bed.

"No funny business, Jane," Lisbon scolded at his Cheshire cat grin.

"Now, Lisbon, do you really think I would try to seduce you with a toddler in our bed?"

Teresa was struck dumb at the loaded question, unable to keep from wondering what he might try if the baby wasn't in _their _bed.

Jane's face contracted in pained sympathy as Lily's cries for her absent daddy grew stronger at Jane's presence in the bed with them.

Teresa tried to cradle the little girl to her body, but Lily merely rolled her forehead against Teresa's newly-exposed skin in frustration.

The senior agent was beginning to think her consultant was full of shit.

She heard the scrape of metal unscrewed against glass, and the sudden scent of something subdued and yet rich hit the air.

"Do you trust me?" Patrick queried as he held his left forefinger against the opened bottle.

Wide green eyes met his own as Lisbon nodded and softly replied, "Yes."

"Babies like bare skin…warmth…heartbeats…feeling cozy and secure," Patrick explained as he tipped the bottle to coat the finger he held on top as he continued. "And one of the primary ways that an infant recognizes its parents is through smell."

Teresa's breath hitched as she felt Patrick Jane's finger trace the smooth skin that swelled just above the cup of her emerald-colored bra. He rationalized that Teresa's hands were busy holding the baby, and the scent should rest lower than where Lily's face might be.

At least that was the thin excuse he'd come up with if asked.

His normally steady hands seemed to shake a little as he continued along the creamy path, his mouth growing dry at the intimate contact. He outlined the silky trail up the opposite side until the perfume on his finger was exhausted, and even then he wished for an excuse to let his fingers linger there.

His breathing growing a little too ragged for comfort, Jane gently pulled his hand away from Lisbon's breast, reminded of the necessity of screwing the cap back onto the bottle.

"It's nice…smells expensive," Lisbon assumed as the scent Jane had applied to her cleavage began to float upward. Lisbon hoped Jane wouldn't notice how affected she was by his touch.

But, then again, when did Jane ever fail to notice anything?

Jane was grateful that Lisbon hadn't questioned his motives or methods, which in itself was just a little disturbing. He carried on with the safe, changed subject.

"_Creed Indiana_… Danny bought Laura a bottle every Christmas…," Jane recalled. "I thought it might suit you," he smiled softly.

"It's nice," Lisbon agreed gently, noting that Lily's wails had slowed to mewling whimpers that preceded shuddering, jerky breaths.

"Your wife and Laura—they went Christmas shopping together, didn't they? Liked the same cologne, but…."

Jane smiled at Lisbon's insight—he certainly couldn't fault her for employing the same techniques he used on the general populous.

"Annie didn't want her brother and I smelling alike," Jane finished the thought. "You're right—same maker—slightly different variation, Very good," Jane as he gave Teresa a satisfied smile.

"And you've worn the same one ever since," Lisbon concluded, a little downcast at the reminder.

"Until tonight," Jane corrected, meeting Lisbon's gaze in the dim light.

Their attention was suddenly drawn to a deep yawn and the little pink mouth that formed the letter 'O.' Teresa and Patrick lay, closely facing each other and patting the toddler, when Lily finally gave up to the exhaustion of her tears, and proving her uncle right once again, lay her cheek against the warmth of Teresa Lisbon's chest—the steady heartbeat soothing the surrendering child. Her small arm reached part-way around Teresa's ribcage while a tiny mouth began to suck a bottom lip.

Teresa Lisbon's eyes glazed with tears as Lily nestled against her, but when Patrick Jane's hand slid to her hip, pulling both her and the baby close, her heart, which had remained dormant for so long, threatened to burst from her chest.

Though Patrick Jane had frequently imagined how it might feel to hold Lisbon so intimately, he had never expected to have a baby sleeping in his arms once again, never expected the reassurance of hearing soft steady breathing coming from small, parted lips.

Lisbon softly rubbed Lilly's head as the toddler clung to her in sleep, the darkened room concealing her blush as the backs of her fingers grazed the firm chest of her unruly consultant.

Jane allowed his possessive hold to relax slightly, his fingers exploring the curve of Lisbon's hip. He had to chuckle as tiny feet dug into his stomach, reminding Lily's uncle of the very real reason he ought to still his wandering hands.

The day's taxing events and warm bodies nestled against her caused Teresa Lisbon to yawn and her eyes to grow heavy. The last thing she remembered before falling into a deep sleep was Patrick Jane's voice and the feel of his lips….

"Goodnight, my sweet girls," he whispered, placing gentle kisses against curls, both fair and dark….


	6. Chapter 9

ch 9

Delicious.

It was the first thought that came to Patrick Jane as he woke to the first dim rays that peeked through the edges of Teresa Lisbon's bedroom curtains.

The delicious weight that pinned him to the soft mattress…the warm breath exhaled against his chest…little murmurs and sighs mouthed against his skin…

The meager pleasures he usually found in a three-piece suit, hot tea and a battered leather sofa were paltry compared to waking up with baby Lily curled up on his chest and a sleeping Teresa Lisbon snuggled against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around them both.

A banquet for a starving man.

But had he earned the right to such a feast? His bill remained unpaid from the last time he had been here, blissfully surrounded by a tiny family. Could his fast be broken, with the devil still on the loose?

Patrick Jane's self-imposed chastisement and self-doubt would have to wait, however.

The intrusive thin rays that had woken him so early, teased at the closed lashes of his still-sleeping bedmates. Fine blonde curls tickled under his chin as Lily squirmed and turned her face away from the window, her uncle's left hand patting soothingly against her back to settle her once again.

They discovered, during the night, that Lily was nearly as active at night as she was in the day, squirming and turning until she'd covered nearly every inch of Auntie Teresa's bed. By morning, she'd wound up planted on top of her Uncle Patrick. Though he held her securely, so did Teresa, her right arm laying on his chest, keeping a watchful hand on Lily as she, herself, slept.

If left to his own devices, Patrick Jane could've succumbed to his ever-present guilt, to the brooding isolation that normally accompanied his involvement in a Red John case, undeserving as he felt of the happiness that pervaded every part of his being this morning. But instead of dwelling on the horrors of yesterday, more immediate concerns instead occupied his thoughts—keeping Lily and Teresa, the tiny toddler and his fiercely-loyal friend, happy and safe.

Lisbon would probably scoff if she could read his mind at the moment, wasting no time in reminding him that _she_ was the one who carried a gun. That knowledge, however, did not change the fact that she felt so _small_ in his arms right now, how her breathing tickled against his skin as she slept, and the way she called to him while she dreamed.

Right now, Patrick Jane couldn't think about any other place he'd rather be.

The broad grin on the consultant's face gave way quickly to a curious quirked eyebrow when the bothersome morning sun that had been threatening to wake Lisbon caused her to curl even closer to his body.

"Jane…," she muttered sleepily against his skin, shifting her thigh over his hip and tangling their legs together as she dreamed.

He suppressed a chuckle at the notion that he called him by his last name even in her dreams, but his amusement was short-lived when he was reduced to biting his lip as her thighs tightened around his hipbone, and she moaned his name that fell from her lips once again.

He stroked the soft, pale skin at the curve of her waist, whispering assurances into her tangled, dark locks. While Patrick Jane wasn't _entirely _sure as to the nature of Lisbon's current dream, especially considering the trauma and upheaval of the previous day, if it was one that led to an uncontrollable flush to her cheeks when she woke, then he hoped that little Lily would learn to sleep soundly in her baby bed, and very soon.

He could feel Lisbon's heart start to race through the emerald satin of her bra, could feel the heat of her sex through the silky panties as she clung fiercely to his side.

Uncertain whether the dream would turn out to be traumatizing or satisfying (or maybe an odd combination of both, he worried), the normally adept consultant wrestled with the decision of either waking Teresa out of a nightmare or leaving her to find fruition in her dream and planting the seed for future, mutual pleasures.

Jane slid his hand down the length of Lisbon's spine, palm resting at the small of her back. For just a moment he allowed his fingers to slip a little lower, gently teasing at the cleft of Teresa's backside where her panties had slipped down just an inch or so, pulling them back just as Teresa began to stir from her dream.

"Jane…," the brunette muttered in the urgency of her dream, her muscles tensing around his body once again. "Jane-," she called out again, in a near whimper, provoking the blonde consultant to pepper her hair with kisses and rub soothing circles on her lower back.

"Sshh…I'm right here, Teresa," he cooed, snuggling the senior agent impossibly close.

"Jane?" the petite brunette questioned, wide-eyed and panic-stricken, stiffening as she realized how intimately she was wrapped around his body.

"Oh, God…I'm sorry…I…," she stammered, trying to pull away from her impromptu bed-partner.

But Patrick Jane's insistent hand at the small of her back stayed her retreat.

"Sshh, be still, woman, let's let Lily get a little more sleep, shall we?" Jane worked hard to control his impulse to chuckle at Lisbon's sudden self-consciousness—her face and chest were scarlet, the contrast made even more distinct by the deep green of her bra.

Lisbon relented for a moment, still keeping a hand placidly on Lily's back but then remembering how few clothes they had on underneath the sheets.

"Jane, we've…," Lisbon stuttered again, "we've got to get up," suddenly very embarrassed as the details of her dream began to take focus.

"Nope," the blonde consultant grinned and whispered breezily, "We're never gonna leave this bed—far too comfy and cozy," he sighed dramatically as he made a show of snuggling into the mattress, holding 'his girls' to him securely.

"I think a hungry toddler with a soggy diaper will have something to say about that," Lisbon playfully retorted in a whisper, rebounding a little in her sensible response.

Patrick grinned, "Meh—we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," the consultant dismissed with a grin.

"Jane…," Teresa breathed out in a pleading whisper (_and not for the first time this morning_, the consultant thought),"I'm nearly naked under here," she confessed unnecessarily.

His turquoise-colored eyes glittered keenly as a broad, sly smile slid across Patrick Jane's face.

"I've seen you more naked than that," the blonde teased, his words dripping with playful suggestion.

"Right…you and your _dental floss_ emergency last week—and seeing me through the wavy glass of the shower door doesn't count," Teresa sounded a little like a petulant school girl as she tried to recover her status. "And, anyway, I've seen _you_ more naked, too," the brunette snarked in retaliation, feeling confident in her superiority once more.

"I had a popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth," he defended, sounding playfully hurt by her accusation. "And anyway, _when_ did you see me more naked than this?" Jane raised a curious brow as he looked into Lisbon's widening green eyes that couldn't hold his gaze any longer before looking away.

Lisbon sighed as she stared at the tan expanse of Patrick Jane's chest, the fingers that rested close to her cheek, mindlessly drawing little strokes against the skin. Jane could sense her shift in mood, so he pulled her in closer to encourage her story.

"Late last May," she confessed, nervous as she began to reveal what she had witnessed, "After Hardy…I hadn't heard from you for four days. You wouldn't answer my calls," Lisbon bit her lip in embarrassment, and Jane tried to still her fidgeting with the soothing movement of his hand at her back.

"I had VanPelt trace your cell phone, so in the middle of the night, I finally decided to drive to Malibu," Teresa found herself equally embarrassed and aroused at the memory.

At once, Jane understood, a breathy "Ah," escaping his lips, but his didn't dissuade the petite brunette in his arms from finishing her confession.

"You didn't answer the door…so I went through the gate…down to the beach…."

One of the main selling points of the estate in Malibu was the pristine expanse of private beach, sufficiently hidden from neighboring homes by high dunes and lush foliage.

"The sun was just coming up, and I started to call out for you," Lisbon's voice quavered nervously, "And then I saw you come up out of the water and walk to the shore," Jane could feel the same tension build in the brunette's body that she must have felt that very morning.

"And you were very…very…," Lisbon flushed again at the memory of a wet Patrick Jane rising from the Pacific, his body glinting in the morning sunshine. Her tongue darted out to lick dry lips, recalling the sight of his chest heaving in deep breaths as he lay on the wet sand.

"Naked…," he supplied, Jane's voice dripping with innuendo, pulling Lisbon even closer. He grinned at her embarrassment, Jane trying to recover the playful mood they had earlier enjoyed.

He had no desire to dwell on the difficulties of that time, facing Red John's patsy, severing their only link to the monster by killing the sheriff, and his and Lisbon's exchanging of harsh words thereafter.

"Very cathartic-swimming naked in the ocean, quite freeing, actually," Jane surmised lightly. "You should've joined me, Lisbon, might've done you some good," the unruly blonde teased, the hand at Lisbon's lower back slipping down, pushing the cleft of her thighs purposefully into his hipbone, Lisbon's gasp and a renewed gush of wet warmth at her core rewarding Jane for his shameless flirtation.

"Jane!" Lisbon hissed, pinching his bare nipple in embarrassed retaliation, earning the brunette a histrionic groan and a hearty chuckle from her consultant.

Patrick Jane laughed until he felt little knees and elbows jab at his chest and stomach and bright blue eyes flutter open for good before whispering one last thing to Teresa Lisbon.

"And by the way, Teresa…"

Lisbon looked back up in curious anticipation.

Jane's sly smile was loaded with secret knowledge that Lisbon would spend hours trying to decipher, "You're right-seeing you naked through the shower door _doesn't_ count…."


	7. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much to JLluv (oh, yeah…there is promise),Bouncerok, xanderseye (me…cruel? Pshaw;),Jisbon4ever (more banter in this chappie, too), LittleMender (hell, I embarrass myself on a daily basis), kittylizz (I do enjoy giving Jane an excuse to be happy), Ella Beau, AngelDiabolique, hammancheese (*blushes* thnx)**

**Oh…and I'm sure many of you recognized my inspiration for Lisbon's little voyeuristic moment in Malibu…just google images Simon Baker + beach…ok, yeah…then come back and read the new chapter.**

**Chapter 10 will certainly crank up the flirtation quotient…a little reality check at the end, but hey…what can you do?**

**Enjoy…**

Ch 10

Teresa Lisbon was right about at least one thing so far—a soaked diaper and hungry tummy did not allow Patrick Jane's commandeering of her bed to continue any longer that morning.

In fact, at the first sign of a fussy Lily, Uncle Patrick was up like a shot, immediately remedying the problem of said diaper as Auntie Teresa threw on a jersey and shorts before running downstairs to pour Lily's juice and boil the kettle for her coffee and Jane's tea.

After throwing a load of clothes in the washer, filling the French press with grounds, pouring a practiced amount of milk in Jane's teacup and plucking a teabag from the box, Lisbon heard the lilting giggle of Lily Anne and the engaging storytelling of her now-official roommate as they headed downstairs.

She smiled at the ridiculous addendums Jane was making to the tale he was currently spinning, and couldn't suppress a chuckle when poor Goldilocks was arrested for breaking and entering, though she did turn around and file suit for injuries sustained while sitting in a poorly maintained wooden chair. Of course the inventive showman had to keep himself entertained as well as the baby.

Teresa knew that they both were guilty of going a little overboard in tending to Lily. Trying to keep her mind off her missing parents was a constant endeavor. She was proud of Jane's efforts to step into the role of 'dad' once again. As painful as the effort might be, he kept up his enthusiasm and responsiveness. Teresa hoped that those pangs of regret might eventually fade a little, allowing Jane to enjoy his second chance at having a family.

Lisbon did notice that her need to chastise her usually unruly consultant was markedly lessened by Lily's presence… well, except for the obscure allusion to having seen her naked…and the flirty hand on her ass this morning. Yeah…she knew she hadn't just dreamed _all_ of that. Speaking of dreams—damn if she wished she hadn't woken up so early. _"Just before I got to the good part,"_ Teresa sighed.

Lisbon was certain that Jane wouldn't let something like her dreaming about him drop, and figured that with Patrick Jane the best defense was a good offense.

Dunking his teabag the prescribed number of times before disposing of it in the trash, Teresa smiled to herself when she caught sight of the pair, immediately knowing exactly how to get a little of her own back after this morning's humiliation.

"And what would my beautiful girls like for breakfast this morning?" The chipper blonde queried, Lily beginning to wiggle her way down as she saw the golden juice filling her lidded cup.

"Mama jus…jus…Daddy down…," both adults sighed, knowing it was pointless to correct the toddler.

"There you go, baby girl. Why don't you go find your toys?" Lisbon suggested, the little girl sucking heartily at the juice cup as she ran to seek her favorite playthings.

Jane spied his steaming teacup, and with a quick, 'Thank you m'dear' took a satisfying sip before continuing on with his line of questioning and poking through the contents of the refrigerator and cabinets.

"We could have waffles…or omelets, of course Lily would prefer hers just scrambled, of course…or maybe…."

"Um…Jane?"

"Yes, Lisbon?"

Teresa had to fight the smile that arose at Jane's apparent obliviousness—for a man who spent most of his day in a three-piece-suit, he seemed keenly unaware that he was standing in the kitchen, planning the breakfast menu, dressed solely in his boxers, which as the morning sun shone through the kitchen window, seemed to reveal things quite nicely.

"You might want to think about getting dressed before cooking breakfast—unfortunate places to get burned, and all that," Lisbon warned with a sly grin, taking pleasure in watching Jane first blanch and then blush at the oversight.

"Oh…right…sorry about that," Jane's eyes darted away from Teresa's, looking for something to cover himself with, but finding nothing to put to good use.

With a renewed sense of confidence, Lisbon sidled up to the normally unflappable man, took the half-filled cup from his frozen hands, and patting him condescendingly on the chest suggested, "And why don't you go ahead and take your shower while you're upstairs—you smell a little like baby—and not in a good way," Lisbon wrinkled her nose and coolly walked to the sink.

"Ah, you wound me, woman," Jane groaned playfully, finally catching on to Lisbon's antics.

For her part, Teresa could only chuckle at his theatrics.

Deciding that Lisbon was probably right, and a shower was in order, Patrick scanned the room for his things.

"Do you know where my gym bag might be?" he inquired.

"Stowed away in the closet," Teresa declared pointedly, then rolled her eyes and relented, "I put your boxers, tees and socks in the top right hand drawer of the dresser, sweats in the drawer below that, and your jeans and shirts are hanging in the closet. We'll have Rigsby and Grace drop off your suits at the cleaners when they stop in at lunch."

Jane's words may have come out with a hint of teasing, but their meaning was sincere. Unashamedly he strode up to Teresa Lisbon who was standing with her back against the kitchen sink.

"Awww…you gave me a drawer?"he snaked his arms around Lisbon's petite body, holding her close despite his lack of clothing.

"Two, in fact," she quipped returning the impromptu embrace. "And a bit of closet space, but don't hog it!" her green eyes flashed in playful warning.

She studied Jane's face as his expression grew tender and touched.

"Thank you, Teresa," Patrick replied sincerely and bent to give her a tender and simple kiss.

"You're welcome," Lisbon responded with a smile, "Now hurry up with that shower—we girls are getting hungry for a Patrick Jane breakfast."

The nearly naked blonde grinned and then turned to head back upstairs, but not before a slightly wicked Teresa Lisbon yanked playfully on the back of Jane's boxers, allowing her a quick peek at his nicely-shaped backside.

"Lisbon!" Jane turned back in mocking shock at her actions.

Lisbon flashed a mischievous smile that only be rivaled by Patrick Jane himself, giving Jane a little food for thought as he made his way to the shower, "Just wanted to make sure it was as cute as I remembered…"

ooooo

After spending a few extra minutes in the shower, shall we say, getting a 'handle' on several of his more vivid fantasies before exiting the bathroom, Patrick Jane resumed his regular morning routine before donning his rarely worn jeans and faded blue tee bought in some random tourist trap where his culprit-nabbing antics left him with his suit soiled so badly that Lisbon made him change before she would let him ride in the SUV.

Jane also knew that parenthood and fine Italian silk didn't work well together, either.

Jogging down the stairs with curls still slightly damp from the shower, Jane met Lisbon in the kitchen, holding his palms up and arms out, mockingly trying to win her approval.

"Is this ok?" he inquired, since she had earlier sent him upstairs clad only in his boxer shorts.

"Fine," Lisbon chirped cheerily, but with a twinkle in her eye that gave way to her next teasing chastisement—

"Took you long enough, though," she raised her eyebrows in playful suspicion.

"I do like to indulge in a nice, long shower when I can, Lisbon," Jane spoke in low, sultry tones as he sidled up beside her at the refrigerator, waiting for the flush to rise to her cheeks before adding, "If you're concerned, I can think of a few interesting _water-saving tips_ for us to try."

"How about we make breakfast now—save the environment later," Teresa snarked, mentally chastising herself for encouraging this flirtatious battle of wills with Patrick Jane. Had experience really taught her so little?

His bright eyes glittered happily as he chuckled, Teresa Lisbon shoving a carton of eggs at his waist in her begrudging defeat.

ooooo

Jane quickly scrambled an egg for Lily which she ate, primarily with her hands, in her high chair, finishing it quickly before requesting her 'O's,' which Teresa sprinkled from the bright yellow box onto the toddler's tray.

Just as Lily finished with her breakfast and Lisbon cleaned her up and unlatched the tray, so she could resume her morning explorations, Jane, in his typical grand style, put the finishing touches on a massive omelet, serving it up on a single plate and plucking a lonely fork from the drawer.

Lisbon's face drew to a childish pout at first, thinking that Jane's teasing had gone too far in forgoing making her breakfast, but that thought was quickly banished as he grabbed her hand, took a seat in the corner of the couch and pulled Lisbon into his lap.

"_What_ are we doing?" Lisbon inquired, feigning annoyance.

"We are having breakfast, m'dear," the enthusiastic blonde replied succinctly.

"So…I couldn't have my own plate?"

"Nonsense—no need, we'll share."

"We could just cut it in two, half on my plate, half on yours?" Lisbon pointed out, knowing it was a fruitless endeavor.

"Pfft—I've seen you eat, woman. You can scarf down a gourmet meal in five minutes flat."

"It's part of the job—eating on the go. Not exactly my fault," Lisbon defended, though not moving from Jane's lap, either.

"Yes, well, no work for us today, so here…," Jane cut a bite with the side of his fork and fed a bite to the petite brunette perched on his thighs.

Teresa was surprised at the intrusive movement, but quickly changed her mind as the delectable taste of the concoction hit her taste buds, eyes closing as a gratified groan escaped her closed lips.

"Mmm—what _is_ that?" she looked at Jane, rather astounded.

"Four cheeses, cream, six eggs, prosciutto, shitake mushrooms and a sprinkle of rosemary," Jane grinned before sampling a bite himself.

"I didn't even know that stuff was in the refrigerator," Teresa exclaimed, before opening her mouth expectantly for another bite.

Jane just chuckled as he slid the cool fork slowly against Teresa's bottom lip and was rewarded with a nearly orgasmic moan as she ate.

It was then that Patrick Jane realized that his plan had backfired.

And so did Teresa Lisbon.

Chuckling uncontrollably, Teresa wiggled around on Jane's lap all the more, pestering him for yet another bite.

"More, please," she bounced around like coy schoolgirl, complicating Jane's dilemma even further.

Jane could only sit still, breathing slowly as he tried to will the tightening in his jeans to abate.

"Here, I'll take that," Teresa swiped the plate from his frozen hand.

"Open wide," Teresa did her best 'naughty nurse' impression, complete with breathy delivery and shimmy of her chest to boot, as she fed Jane.

"You're killin' me here, Teresa," Jane mumbled, sufficiently subdued.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Teresa chided with a chuckle.

Under his breath, Patrick Jane mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, _"I'll show you mouth full," _which only earned him a smack on the chest from Lisbon.

"Be good—here comes Lily," she directed, trying to suppress a grin.

"Mama—no 'pank," a very cross Lily insisted, then reinforced her point with a tiny open palm coming down against Lisbon's bare thigh.

Both Jane and Lisbon were unsuccessfully fighting bouts of laughter when the petite brunette insisted—

"But Daddy was naughty," she accused playfully.

"_No 'pank!"_the tiny blonde insisted.

"Yeah, Mama, no 'pank," Jane chuckled then whispered into Teresa's ear, "Well, maybe later," he teased as he patted her hip surreptitiously.

Lisbon retaliated by pinching his side that remained hidden from view.

"Ow!" Jane feigned hurt, his face contracting in theatrical pain.

"Mama kiss!" Lily insisted as recompense for Jane's supposed suffering.

"Yeah, Mama, kiss," Jane presented his cheek to the brunette on his lap, but of course, turned to face her just as her eyes closed and lips puckered. After the initial surprise, Lisbon gave into Jane's kiss as he threaded his fingers through her hair to pull her in close.

"Mama, up!" was the order that brought the pair back to the present.

"And here I thought you were trying to help me out, kiddo," Jane teased as Lisbon leaned forward to pull Lily up onto the couch with them, Jane grabbing at the back of Lisbon's shorts to supposedly steady her descent, earning him a suspicious look from the senior agent.

From her new vantage point, Lily spied the plate that had been parked on the coffee table.

"Bie, bie," she insisted, reaching out to the plate and curling her fingers toward her.

"You want to try some of ours, baby girl?" Teresa encouraged, cutting off a piece of the remaining omelet.

"See, we have a true little gourmand in our midst," Jane declared proudly as Lily's little mouth opened to receive the bite.

The toddler chewed for a minute with a scrunched nose, and upon hitting an unfortunately placed piece of rosemary, promptly spit the slobbery mixture back onto the plate.

"Ah, well, no accounting for taste," Jane sighed as Teresa sat the plate back down on the coffee table.

"We tried," Lisbon consoled as she gathered up Lily in her arms, all three of them a happy, playful pile on the sofa.

That was—until a knock came to the front door.

"Mama?...Daddy?..." Lily called, her little hand reaching out toward the front door.

Both Lisbon and Jane's faces fell at the toddler's query, wondering how long it would be before Lily just gave up hope and stopped asking.

"Boss-it's Van pelt and Rigsby," Grace announced through the door.

With a sympathetic kiss to Jane's forehead, Lisbon smiled sadly as she handed off Lily and went to answer the door.


	8. Chapters 11 & 12

**Thanks so much for all your comments and reviews. Just a note—this chapter is a huge fluffy sugary treat just in time for Christmas. I promise the smutty goodness is not far away. We'll get back to the case later, but for now…**

**Special thanks to-Little Drusilla, Ray08, Saavik13, Bouncerok, xanderseye, Jisbon4ever, kittylizz (how about we do one better in a couple of chapters;)JLluv, Sngel Diabolique, Tari-Nienna-Elensar (not too much longer;) and Chiisana Minako.**

**I have a couple of chapters of my next Mentalist fic written, but I wanted to get this one to a certain point before I posted. I have way too many fics that I haven't had time to update yet. (Plus way too many papers to grade as well…)**

ch 11

"Come in," Lisbon stepped back to allow her two co-workers into the apartment, taking the obligatory quick scan of the complex's parking lot before shutting and locking the door."We weren't expecting you guys till lunchtime," the senior agent half-apologized for her casual dress and the breakfast dishes abandoned on the coffee table.

"Yeah, sorry, the A.D.A. called us in for depositions in the Rinaldi case at one, so we decided to head this way while we had a few minutes," Grace explained.

"Rinaldi—crap, I forgot that meeting was set for today, give me fifteen minutes, and I'll-," Teresa began to scramble.

"Nothing doing, boss," Rigsby put out his hands to halt Lisbon's progress. "Minelli specifically said, and I quote," the towering agent pulled a folded piece of paper from his suit coat and read aloud, "Teresa," Rigsby blushed at the voicing the informality, "Do not even _think _ about setting foot outside that apartment today. So help me, I will suspend you for a month if you come back to the office before I tell you to do so. That goes for you too, Jane," Rigsby looked toward the blonde consultant whose face somehow managed to appear amused and innocent at the same time.

Rigsby continued, "These two," he needlessly indicated himself and Van Pelt, "can handle the deposition-,"

Lisbon took a breath to jump in, but was cut off by Rigsby's continued recitation.

"And I already warned them not to let that idiot defense attorney even mention coercion," Rigsby finished folding the note and putting it sheepishly back in his pocket.

Lisbon sat down on the sofa and sighed in a huff, frustrated at being house-bound.

Jane, noting the rising tension from Lisbon and discomfort emanating from Rigsby, decided to intervene.

"Lily, why don't you visit with Rigsby for a moment," Patrick handed the toddler to the taller man who was suddenly startled at the squirming bundle in his arms, though he had to appreciate the instant attention he garnered from Grace who immediately cuddled up to his side, cooing at the smiling little girl.

"Lisbon—would you gather up the dry cleaning while I make a shopping list for them?" Jane tried to distract the brunette with a small chore, aggrieved as she was to be kept from her duties at the CBI.

"Sure…," Lisbon agreed before heading upstairs to gather the laundry, not wanting to delay her visitors any longer than necessary—not only did they have their own work to attend to, but now hers and Jane's as well.

Meanwhile, Jane scurried around the kitchen, noting any required groceries and jotting them on a list, rolling his eyes at the current content of Lisbon's pantry and pitching items into the trash that were sadly out of date.

Truth be told, Jane generally bought more groceries than did Lisbon, though his purchases were usually intended for a particular meal, rarely, if ever taking the obvious risk of stocking the pantry—not wishing to draw Lisbon's attention to the fact that he was practically living at her apartment even before the arrival of little Lily.

When Lisbon realized she had exhausted her supply of a particular necessity, she would merely make a quick trip to the corner convenience store, eschewing visits to the market when she could. Often, late-night mutterings about needing toilet paper or coffee and a general unwillingness to leave her apartment once she had settled in for the evening resulted in a groggy, bed-headed Lisbon awakening to a full roll in the bathroom and a steaming cup of java in the kitchen.

Grocery fairies. Must have been.

Not to say that Teresa Lisbon was a poor excuse for hostess. Despite her lack of attention to shopping and cooking, she was fairly dutiful when it came to their laundry. Even though she would not have admitted Patrick Jane was essentially a permanent houseguest, she would always sigh heavily and toss his clothes in with her own, rationalizing that making him run a separate load would just be wasteful.

She didn't even bother to mention the Laundromat.

Teresa Lisbon would often wonder just what kind of masochist would willingly put up with Jane's shenanigans at work _and _at home, but honestly, she hated to think of Jane alone on his battered leather couch…late at night…alone. So unless he had so thoroughly pissed her off that she couldn't bear the sight of him, the petite brunette would usually acquiesce to whatever dinner plans her mischievous consultant had cooked up, relax a little after cleaning the kitchen, and then decide it was far too late for Jane to be on the road, so he might as well stay….

At least now they no longer needed an excuse.

Patrick Jane accepted this sudden shift in their arrangement rather skillfully. As much as he didn't like the thought of hiding away in Lisbon's apartment and the extreme precautions they were taking to elude Red John until reinforcements arrived, Jane did feel a renewed sense of purpose, of connection to Lisbon and Lily that he hadn't felt toward anyone else in a very long time.

And while the widower wouldn't have believed himself worthy of a second chance—would have scoffed at the thought of "getting back out there" or "finding someone new" as he had sometimes been advised, Jane planned to do everything in his power to keep Lily safe, happy and loved—to give her the kind of life her parents and his wife would've wanted.

A life with a family.

It still amazed him how readily Lisbon had taken to the role of surrogate mother, and how, when she opened her heart to that lively, sweet toddler…he seemed to slip in as well.

There had been the occasional small intimacies between the two before—falling asleep on the sofa after a late-night movie, Jane carrying Lisbon to bed after a traumatic day and one drink too many to wash it away, placing the aspirin and water beside her before she woke the next morning. Though he had to admit…waking up with Lisbon tangled around him was infinitely more pleasant.

Jane had for a long time enjoyed taking care of Lisbon inasmuch as she would allow it—making sure she ate decently, bugging her until she went to bed (even though the same could not be said of Jane himself) and generally making sure she had a little fun and companionship once in her otherwise stressful life.

In fact, he had become rather an expert at knowing what Teresa Lisbon needed at the moment she needed it.

Even when she didn't know herself.

An impatient, dry cough from Rigsby reminded Jane of the younger agents' upcoming appointment, and he quickly resumed his task of finishing the shopping list that Grace and Wayne had offered to fill.

He added the necessary items they would need for the bathroom, nursery and laundry before handing the list over to Rigsby, so Jane could pull his wallet from his back pocket—an unfamiliar gesture since he was not wearing his suit coat.

Rigsby had been dreamily distracted by Grace who had absconded with the baby and was bouncing the toddler on her knees, playing a favorite game she remembered from childhood that left Lily giggling as the redhead straightened her legs, letting the toddler slide down her shins a little before catching the sixteen-month-old and popping her back to her knees for another chorus.

"'Gin…'gin!" Lilly would giggle and squeal.

"You want to go again?" Grace would question, her dark eyes sparkling as she sang the horsey rhyme at little Lily's bequest.

"I think three hundred will probably cover it," Jane estimated as he laid the large bills in his co-worker's hand.

Rigsby eyed the list with consternation, suddenly regretting volunteering for such a mission.

"Shit…what?" his face contracted at the bizarre list, although he should have known better than to expect just bread, milk and eggs.

"Shiitake mushrooms—I used the last of them this morning," Jane replied off-handedly.

Grace decided to take pity on her boyfriend as she rose from the couch with Lily.

"Here…," Grace passed Lily back to Jane who handled the small child with ease. Lily took a breather from the boisterous game and laid her head on Jane's shoulder, slipping her thumb in her mouth, still watching Wayne and Grace intently.

"Let me see…," she peered over at the list in Rigsby's hand before her brows furrowed, and she snatched the list from his grasp.

"Jane, there are four kinds of chocolate on this list," Van Pelt stated, a little incredulous at the quantity.

"Just four?" Jane scrunched his forehead, then quickly reviewed the list and added a fifth.

"Add a large bar of the Ghirardelli extra dark. Making something a bit special," he whispered, "All necessary, I assure you."

Van Pelt continued to review the list, suddenly arriving at the monthly necessity that made the five types of chocolate suddenly seem quite reasonable.

"Oh…," she said rather mysteriously, as Rigsby, looking over the redhead's shoulder, blushed and cast his eyes away nervously.

Grace's eyebrows rose as she noted the detailed description, down to brand, size, and even the bright red daisy found on the packaging.

"You're sure this is the right…?"

Jane cocked his head to the side and smirked, as if the point were moot.

Lily whipped her head around and pointed to the tiny brunette dwarfed by a mountain of Italian silk.

"Mama…cwoes," the toddler announced.

Lisbon jogged down the apartment stairs, her arms full of trousers, jackets and vests, grumbling as she fished boxers and socks from Jane's suit pants, "Grown man won't wash his own underwear…."

"Daddy naughty," Lily took up Lisbon's charge, scrunching her face in reprimand.

"Quite often, in fact," Jane remarked with a twinkle in his bright eyes, then smiled at Lily's defense of the put-upon Teresa Lisbon.

The petite brunette tossed the abandoned garments into the hamper before turning out the dry cleaning into a laundry bag, muttering curses under her breath at the trail of underclothes that had escaped the pile.

"Go help mama, pumpkin," Jane kissed the soft round cheek and put Lily on her feet to chase the abandoned garments and pitch them, with varying degrees of success, into the hamper just as Lisbon had done.

Quirked eyebrows and knowing smiles were exchanged between the two younger agents, watching the broadest grin they had ever seen cross Patrick Jane's face.

Grace quickly resumed her study of Jane's list when he turned and caught the pair staring. Curious to verify Jane's expertise in all things Lisbon, Grace called out to the senior agent.

"Anything you need from the store, boss?"

"Cheerios, milk and juice, I guess…oh, and probably a pack of diapers," Lisbon called back. "There are a couple of twenties in my wallet."

"Already taken care of, Lisbon," Jane called out to the laundry room.

Jane just smiled and nodded at Lisbon's lack of thoroughness when it came to household necessities.

"I'll text you if I think of anything else," Jane replied with a knowing grin.

Van Pelt and Rigsby left Lisbon's apartment, a little more in awe of Patrick Jane.

oooo

ch 12

When Rigsby and Van Pelt returned with the mountain of groceries and other necessities, Jane distracted Lisbon with an inquiry about the state of Lily's diaper, which Lisbon immediately checked, flinching from the smell. She hurriedly swept Lily upstairs to change the offending garment.

Patrick Jane slipped upstairs, replacing the nearly exhausted bathroom necessities before returning to the kitchen to stow the rest of the groceries and start on dinner.

When Teresa returned with a freshly-diapered Lily, she smiled at the steaming pots and sizzling skillets on her otherwise abandoned stove.

To be one of the top-ranking investigators in the state of California, Teresa Lisbon never really questioned how such delicious food could be gleaned from the contents of her kitchen.

"How does spaghetti and meatballs, spinach salad and garlic bread sound, girls?" Jane inquired with a smile, his hair curling even more than usual in the steamy kitchen.

"And a little red wine for you," he gave a quick kiss to Lisbon's forehead as he handed off her glass, "and grape juice for you," giving a peck to Lily's nose as she grabbed her sippee. He was rewarded with a blush from the brunette and a giggle from the blonde.

"Just what I was wanting," Lisbon smiled, returning the kiss to Jane cheek.

"Thought so," Jane reveled.

"Ghetti!" Lily announced as Jane scooped out the wriggling noodles from the large pot, and then ladled the bright red sauce over the top.

Squirming out of Teresa's arms and trying to scale her high chair without help, Jane looked at Lisbon with a wariness born from experience and eyed the tiny terry cloth half moon in Teresa's hand.

"I'm afraid we're going to need a bigger bib."

ooooo

After a dessert of fudge brownies and vanilla ice cream, Jane volunteered to bathe a sauce and ice cream-coated Lily while Lisbon tidied the kitchen.

As the dishwasher hummed and Lisbon swiped at the last of the tomato sauce splotches on the stove, Jane bounded down the stairs with little Lily surrounded by a fluffy white towel.

"Baf! Baf!" Lily announced, grinning at Lisbon.

"Did you have a nice bath, babygirl?" Teresa cooed.

"We played ducks and boats," Patrick announced, "and we even left them in the tub for you," he teased.

"Well, thank you," Teresa played along, drying her hands on a dish towel before retrieving Lily's pajamas from the dryer.

"Actually there is a nice, hot bubble bath waiting upstairs for you, m'dear, along with said ducks and boats if you so choose."

"Mmm…Teresa Lisbon smiled warmly, "a nice long soak sounds wonderful," the petite brunette reached up to plant a grateful kiss on Jane's cheek before handing off the pooh bear pajamas warm from the dryer, "as long as I have the ducks and boats to keep me company…."

oooo

_20 minutes later…_

"Mama…mama…baf!" Lily smacked at the closed bathroom door, startling Teresa out of her deliciously relaxed state.

"Teresa…?" Jane called out warily through the closed door.

"Yes…?" Lisbon sighed with just a hint of accusation in her voice.

"Are your bubbles still nice and fluffy?"

"Why, yes they are," the very wet though suds-covered brunette called back, slightly amused at the line of questioning.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was thrown open and a naked, spaghetti-covered Lily burst into the bathroom.

"What happened to you, Miss Lily?" Teresa asked, wide-eyed.

"Somebody wanted seconds," Jane replied sheepishly, his hand covering his eyes.

Laughing, and fairly certain that she was adequately covered in bubbles, Teresa consented, "You can open your eyes, Patrick."

Jane grinned as he took his hand from eyes.

The sight of Lisbon in a candlelit bath definitely warranted a smile.

"Hand her here," Teresa sighed, lifting her arms out of the water to take the baby from Jane.

Jane had to bite his lip as the white, fluffy suds began to slip down the slope of Lisbon's breast, a hint of pink appearing as Teresa grasped Lily under the arms to lower her into the bath once again that evening.

Mischievously, Jane did not relinquish his hold on the toddler until she was settled in Lisbon's lap. He pretended not to notice as the backs of his fingers brushed against a taut nipple.

"You've got her?" Jane tried to cover the tiny indiscretion that he wouldn't acknowledge as he kneeled beside the tub.

"Yeah…," Lisbon smiled and shook her head, telling the tricky consultant that he didn't have her fooled for a minute.

"Ghetti…," Lily fussed, picking off a stray noodle from her chest, throwing it into the bathwater in disgust.

"Yeah…_naughty ghetti _," Lisbon agreed, picking off another random bit, "_Naughty daddy," _she mouthed at Jane.

Puppy-dog eyes helped plead Jane's case.

"I opened the refrigerator to get Lily a cup of milk, and all she wanted was the leftover spaghetti," the blonde explained with his most guileless expression. "I didn't want to put her to bed still hungry."

As so often was the case, Teresa looked up at Patrick with that look of mild chastisement which softened to her usual grumblings of requisite disapproval. Their experience with baby Lily was still rather limited, and a certain degree of trial and error was to be expected…

His reprieve was to be short-lived, however.

With a scrunch of her tiny face and erratic squirming that left Lisbon flinching from little elbows and knees punching at her breasts and her belly. A sharp, pained cry bellowed from the little girl, sending both adults scrambling to tend to her.

Teresa bounced Lily a little against her shoulder while Patrick rubbed in soothing circles against the baby's back. After a few minutes, the toddler's crying subsided and her new parents were rewarded with a very unladylike belch induced by an overindulgence of tomato sauce.

"There we go…," Teresa cooed softly as she finished cleaning up the remnants of Lily's second helping of dinner, a now-groggy Lily laying her head down against her bare shoulder. Teresa kissed the baby's forehead, soaking the washcloth in warm water and squeezing it out against Lily's soft skin.

Jane's eyes shone in the dim candlelight as he gazed at the pair.

"What?" Lisbon asked, a little shyly.

"You're beautiful…," he whispered in return, pressing a tender kiss to Lisbon's forehead.

Lisbon just rolled her eyes and shook her head a little as she smiled.

A huge yawn escaped Lily's mouth, prompting Jane to fetch a towel so that he could dry Lily off and get her ready for bed once again.

"Enjoy your bath," Jane said softly, before his trademark grin spread across his face, risking a glance into the clearing water and whispering, "but it looks like you might be needing some more bubbles."

oooo

Try as he might, Jane could not coerce Lily into falling asleep in her own bed that night. Hearing Lisbon run more hot water in the tub, Jane finally conceded and brought Lily to Lisbon's bed, the little girl eventually giving into sleep as she lay on top of her dozing daddy, who had missed his nap that day.

oooo

Certain that Jane was sound asleep, Lisbon dropped her towel as she finished drying off, then found a scoop-necked cami and snug shorts to wear to bed. She even reapplied the perfume that now rested on her nightstand, rather wishing Jane were still awake to help as he did last night.

She wondered how long Jane would pout tomorrow when he learned she'd been naked in front of him, and he had slept right through it.

Lisbon slipped into the covers, cuddling up to Jane as she had been when they awoke that morning, even slipping her leg over his thigh and snuggling against his chest as Jane sleepily wrapped his arm around her.

Unable to resist the bare chest underneath her cheek, Teresa turned and placed a soft kiss to the tan flesh below.

"Sweet dreams, Patrick," Teresa wished before closing her eyes and joining her new family as they slept.


	9. Chs 13 through 17

**Thanks to Ray08, jasadin, xanderseye, thehongkonger, bouncerok, littlemender, jisbon4ever, jlluv, and a special thanks to angeldiabolique (you can't imagine how tempting your offer truly was!)**

**Just as a little warning—this update includes several chapters, so it is quite long. Also (drum roll please) this update includes very mature content.**

Ch 13

Teresa Lisbon was having a most delicious dream.

She could feel the light tickle of soft curls at the base of her neck, the reassuring weight of a firm chest at her back, warm lips nuzzling at her shoulder…

And a _very _hard shaft poking at her bottom.

The dream had taunted the sleeping brunette throughout the night, always slipping just out of reach, teasing her with the promise of satisfaction.

The dreaming Teresa Lisbon, unfettered by duty or inhibition, slipped her hand down to the strong thigh cradling her own, ran her fingers along the muscle that would curve into a delectable roundness.

A curious hand had sneaked beneath her top, holding her snugly just below the underside of her breasts, stray fingers unable to resist tracing along the fullness of the swell.

Teresa's grip tightened on strong thigh behind, trying to increase the pressure…bringing her needy body ever closer to the one behind…rocking her hips further back…hoping that whatever impediment that lay between them would just disappear.

"Patrick…," she muttered in a pleading gasp.

"Teresa…," he called back, hips tightening and thrusting forward, seeking a heat that had been foreign for too long.

And it was at that very moment that the spooning pair awoke, momentarily frozen in their intimate embrace.

Upon realizing that his boxer-clad cock was currently ramming into Teresa Lisbon's panty-covered bottom, Patrick Jane launched into a frantic apology—

"Sorry…didn't mean to be poking you…um…," the marginally awake consultant tried to explain his unconscious behavior but with little success.

"I was dreaming…and…um…," though Jane could normally smooth-talk his way out of any sticky situation, he wasn't making much progress.

"I'll just roll back to my side now," Jane conceded, moving to roll away from Lisbon and hide his mortification.

Fingers tightened along the back of his thigh, impeding his progress and actually drawing his hips even closer to Lisbon's backside.

"Don't move, you'll wake the baby," Lisbon whispered.

"What?" Jane questioned, rattled at her response until Lisbon nodded up to the sleeping Lily whose head was cradled on Jane's forearm on the far side of the bed.

"We really should let her sleep as long as we can," Teresa whispered in all seriousness, as though she were oblivious to Jane's predicament.

"But, Teresa,…I'm having a bit of a problem here…," Jane sputtered, not yet noticing how Teresa's hand kept sneaking up to his backside.

"If you move, Lily will wake up for sure. Just be still and try to go back to sleep," Lisbon whispered insistently.

"Teresa…," Patrick pled, his throbbing cock threatening to embarrass him if he couldn't move away from the tempting succulent heat that his manhood seemed to be seeking as he'd slept.

It was then that Jane felt the nearly imperceptible shaking of Lisbon's shoulder that gave away her stifled laughter.

"You little minx," Jane accused playfully, and the fingers that had stroked her skin so gently in sleep now tickled against Lisbon's ribs as he nibbled teasingly just behind her ear.

"You'll wake the baby…," he mimicked as Lisbon giggled, though still trying to keep quiet. She couldn't help but squirm as Jane tormented her.

"Well, you will," Lisbon accused in a playful whisper though her admonishment seemed to only spur Jane to further retaliation.

Jane wiggled his hips, pressing even a bit harder against Lisbon than he had while he dreamt.

"I can be _very_ quiet," Jane taunted with a seductive smile against Lisbon's ear, Pausing for effect, then resuming his onslaught with renewed fervor.

"Yes, but _I _can't," Lisbon gasped when one of Jane's tormenting fingers brushed a sensitive nipple. Lisbon's writhing to escape his ticklish lips and fingers nearly pushed Jane over the edge, but her breathless pleas alone could not provoke Jane to give up that easily.

A sleepy blonde, prematurely awoken, however, could.

"Daddy naughty," a tiny scrunched faced declared as Lily spied Jane's well-targeted assault.

Lily's pronouncement stopped Jane in his ticklish tracks. A broad grin spreading across his face, Jane defended—

"Well…Mommy was naughty too…," Jane teasingly accused, immediately resuming his vexation of the petite brunette.

"Mommy _good,_" Lily insisted, raising up to her little knees and pushing back on Jane's bare shoulder, trying to shove him onto his back.

"Hah! See! Mommy's good," Lisbon gloated as she turned her face up toward Jane's.

"Meh, Mommy's just got her fooled," Jane responded with a grin though finally relenting and allowing Lily's push to send him onto his back with a histrionic groan.

"Uuf," Patrick expelled theatrically, hoping Lily appreciated her tiny victory. "Fine…fine," he sing-songed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and taking a moment to steady himself, reaching for his robe at the foot of the bed.

"I guess since Daddy's been bad, he should go make the juice," Jane mischievously mollified, slipping on his robe to hide his conspicuously tented boxers. "And make friends with the open freezer door while I'm at it," he whispered to a grinning Teresa as he kissed her on the cheek and Lily atop the head, even as the tiny tot still glared at him .

"Don't stand there too long," Lisbon called back, hearing Jane's chuckle as he padded down the stairs.

oooo

Jane was quickly welcomed back into Lily's good graces when he served French toast with bacon for breakfast. He was also rewarded with Lisbon's contented groans as she scarfed down the plate of sweet comfort food with relish.

Patrick Jane generally reveled in teasing Teresa Lisbon until she began throwing office equipment at his head, but there were certain days when the all-knowing consultant would adopt a unilateral moratorium on harassing the gun-toting brunette.

Surprising her with a nice steak dinner…making mac and cheese with the little toasted bits on top that she liked so much…rubbing her aching back as she fell asleep far too early during the sappy film she had chosen that evening…yes, Patrick Jane knew the days he could screw with Teresa Lisbon and the days when doing so would have absurdly reckless.

Today was the latter….

Oooo

Ch 14

Teresa Lisbon hated not being in charge.

Her mother used to say she was born bossy.

Big sister. Surrogate parent to three orphaned boys. Cop.

Even as a rookie, Lisbon received accolades for her initiative and success, quickly moving up law enforcement ranks.

Everyone on her team (except Jane, of course) called her boss.

So on those few days when she was at the mercy of an aching body, mercurial mood swings, and ill-timed exhaustion, Teresa Lisbon resented Mother Nature proverbially snatching the keys away and hopping in the driver's seat for a few days each month, Lisbon relegated to sit shotgun.

Of course the most frustrating predicament of all was the last big rush of hormones before Aunt Flo arrived for her own special brand of torture.

Those were the days when Patrick Jane's near-constant presence was both a blessing and a curse.

She could blame the impromptu snuggling in front of the TV on sentimental movies and weariness, could pretend she didn't notice how his hand would stroke absently at her lower back, could breathe him in and cradle her cheek against cool, gray Italian silk.

Later, alone in her bed, Teresa would imagine deft, expert hands touching her, would fantasize about Patrick filling her body instead of the silly piece of plastic vibrating in her hand.

The fact that the man in question was asleep downstairs on her couch didn't seem to ease her frustration in the least.

At least in Lisbon's imagination she didn't have to worry about their working relationship…Jane's plans for revenge…the ring he still wore.

The last two mornings have given Lisbon hope. It seemed that one particular part of Patrick Jane's anatomy was interested in pursuing more than just the occasional snuggle and light flirtation.

And it wasn't just the inconvenience of hormonal urges that made Teresa Lisbon want Patrick Jane—it just made them harder to ignore.

Lisbon was drawn from her reverie by a sudden splash of soapy water, dousing her face and tee shirt.

"Mama wet!" a giggling Lily exclaimed, her hands beat at the bathwater with abandon. The syrupy toddler required a morning bath after a sticky breakfast. Lisbon wasn't quite sure how she and Jane would arrive on time to work ever again.

"Come on, Lily, let's dry you off," Lisbon pronounced as she lifted the energetic toddler out of the bathwater.

"Towhs, towhs," Lilly pointed as she struggled to access the cabinet.

"Easy there, babygirl," the brunette gently admonished as knees and elbows dug into Lisbon's breasts and belly.

Teresa opened the bathroom cabinet to retrieve a fluffy towel to wrap around the wiggling toddler, pulling the top one from the stack and spying the necessary items that she didn't remember replenishing. Relieved that at least one of her problems had been solved, Lisbon sighed,"Well, at least there's a box of tampons…."

oooo

After a fresh diapering and clothing change, Lisbon and Lily jogged down the stairs to see if Jane needed any help with the breakfast dishes.

The dishwasher was humming and the countertop was cleaned, but Jane was nowhere near the kitchen. Instead, Lisbon and Lily found Jane asleep on the couch—his typical resting spot apart from the fact that this couch did not reside at the CBI.

"Daddy seep," Lily pointed at the reposing blonde.

"Daddy _lazy_," Lisbon teased, her eyebrow twitching up with her smirk as she waited to see if Jane cracked a smile, though his expression remained neutral and his breathing sounded steady.

"Daddy pway," Lily pouted.

Lisbon smiled mischievously, giving Lily a quick kiss to the cheek before sitting her on the couch in the space by Jane's feet and heading over to the stereo, opening the CD player and popping in a favorite disc. Picking up the stereo remote and sneaking back to where she left the toddler, Lisbon helped Lily to her feet as they squished into the couch cushions.

"You wanna' dance, babygirl?" Lisbon urged playfully, letting Lily grab onto her forefingers.

Punching play on the remote, Lily giggled as the raucous strains of pop music sounded from the speakers.

_Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,  
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,  
I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,  
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,  
I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna really  
really really wanna zigazag ._

Jane's eyes flew open at the sudden sound, his grin widening at the sight of a giggling blonde and brunette bouncing to lively beat.

"Daddy play, huh?" Jane challenged, teasingly, pulling Lily and Lisbon down onto the couch with him and tickling relentlessly.

"Daddy play? Daddy play?" Jane wrestled both of his girls, peppering ticklish necks with nibbling kisses.

"Daddy no tickeww. Daddy pway," Lily insisted between screeching giggles.

"Don't make me hurt you," Lisbon threatened between bouts of laughter.

"I thought you two wanted to play," Jane teased holding both close to him, happily weighed down by the two laughing females.

The Spice Girls were continuing with one of Lisbon's guilty pleasures when a firm rapping came from the apartment's front door.

"Lisbon—it's Minelli. Open up."

Oooo

Ch 15

Lisbon and Jane held their collective breath for a moment, waiting to see if Lily would urgently ask if her mommy or daddy had arrived, but instead the tiny blonde slipped a thumb in her mouth and lay her head on Jane's chest, though her eyes remained trained on the door.

"Be right there," Lisbon called out, fumbling with the buttons on the stereo remote as Jane sat up on the couch with Lily in his arms.

Rushing to the door, Lisbon habitually looked through the peephole (even though she recognized Minelli's voice) and unlocked the two locks securing the door.

"Come in, please, sir," Lisbon gestured for her boss to enter, pulling a bit at her damp tee shirt where Lily has splashed her a few moments before.

Minelli nodded to Lisbon and Jane in turn, tossing down a thick folder onto the dining table before heading toward the couch to pick up Lily.

"Good morning, Miss Lily," Minelli cooed in an excited, eager voice, nearly unrecognizable as his own. "Why don't you come see Pappi, and we'll go find some toys to play with, huh?" the normally dour-faced, weathered chief held up his palms to encourage Lily to go with him willingly.

Luckily, Lily found her new 'Pappi' particularly engaging.

Minelli's eyes cut back to the dining table and Jane nodded, moving toward the file with its grizzly contents which Lisbon was already studying.

"What's that? Hmm…what do you have there Miss Lily? Is that your doll?"Minelli urged the young toddler toward her toy basket as Jane and Lisbon grimaced at the horrific autopsy photos of her parents.

"Dah-wee," Lily picked up the babydoll with its curly blonde hair and frilly dress, toddling back to her new 'Pappi' as he sat on the living room floor.

"What a very pretty dolly. What's her name?" Minelli turned the doll back to face Lily.

"Dah-wee," Lily repeated, ready to take the doll back from Minelli and find the little plastic bottle that resided somewhere in the bottom of the basket.

Patrick and Teresa would've been amused by the scene if their attention hadn't been occupied by such serious matters.

Minelli used Lily's shift of interest to inform Lisbon and Jane of the highlights of Dr. Rayburn's report.

"The first victim," Minelli concealed as to avoid mentioning Laura's name in front of Lily, "presented wounds consistent with other cases of this sort," the chief generically veiled his commentary. "The second vic presented defensive wounds, with the fatal wound being the one to the jugular. The angle of entry confirmed the suspect's height to be consistent with Cho's estimation."

"Did Cho have any luck with the witness?" Lisbon glanced over to where Minelli was perched on her floor.

"Not too much more than we already knew—says he might be able to identify a voice."

Jane picked up a single sheet from the file, "The jogger says he heard a 'sadistic laugh' coming from the house," a fair eyebrow shot up as he looked over toward Virgil.

"Well, at that juncture, we would have DNA evidence to confirm the identity of the suspect," Minelli rationalized.

"No hits in the system, though, I take it?" Lisbon queried, rather unnecessarily, it seemed.

"Would I be sitting on your floor playing dollies if we did?" Minelli mused wryly.

"Dammit," Jane muttered under his breath, studying the DNA report as if trying to make answers appear from the numbers and codes contained therein.

"You didn't actually think Red John would have an arrest record, did you?" Lisbon snarked rhetorically.

"Not an arrest record…," Jane muttered, scouring the report for some clue that was eluding him.

"What? You think it's someone at the CBI?" Teresa's voice began to rise accusingly. "Another agent? Someone in the secretarial pool? The hot mail room guy?"Lisbon's natural defensiveness when it came her co-workers and her already volatile moodiness, combined with the frustration of being stuck at home while her team investigated their most pressing and personal case, reared its ugly head.

Feeling that Jane was keeping his theories to himself (as he so frequently did) she turned her frustration toward her consultant.

"So who do you think the killer might be? Rigsby? Cho?" she challenged absurdly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Cho…Cho?" Lily looked around for the man who made the funny faces from the other night.

"Little pitchers, Teresa…," Minelli sang out the parental reminder.

Sighing, Jane pulled Lisbon by the hand toward the kitchen, cornering her against the cabinets and the adjoining wall, his hands blocking her in, forcing her to listen without an escape route.

"Teresa," Patrick spoke firmly but softly, "I do not think Red John is anyone on our team, but you know that there are criminals who seek out positions in law enforcement. Hell, we've seen it ourselves," Lisbon flushed as Jane reminded her of Sheriff Hardy and how Jane had saved her life by killing their only link to Red John.

"I thought there might be a chance we would get a hit from employee records," he reasoned. "Local PD, paramedics, forensics—I don't know…," Jane huffed as he ran his right hand through his hair, before reaching for her hand.

"I'm not keeping anything from you, Teresa," Jane declared sincerely as soft turquoise eyes met begrudgingly contrite green. "I don't have a suspect, and I'm not going to start interrogating our co-workers. You need to trust me, Teresa," Jane nearly whispered, his thumb drawing slow strokes on the back of her hand.

Lisbon sighed and looked toward the floor, a little embarrassed at her outburst.

"Sorry…," Lisbon conceded, closing her eyes at the conclusions she'd jumped to.

"You're forgiven," Jane said with a wry smirk, stealing a kiss when their boss wasn't looking. Then shooting an eyebrow toward the ceiling as he still had Lisbon pinned in the corner, "Now, what is this about a hot mailroom guy…?"

oooo

Ch 16

After soothing the savage beast (a fierce, petite beast though she was) with homemade macaroni and cheese with extra toasted bits on top, Relaxing with Lily on the couch with Lily didn't prove very relaxing for Lisbon, however, as Jane noticed her flinch and grimace as little feet and knees prodded at her chest and abdomen.

A peace offering of rocky road and hot fudge seemed to help the pain a little.

Patrick Jane gave Lily a bath while Teresa Lisbon finished with the kitchen, leaving the tub to Lisbon as he put Lily to bed.

oooo

After rocking Lily in the bedroom chair and running through his cache of long-repressed lullabies, Patrick Jane blew out a long sigh, trying to figure out a way to coax Lily to sleep in her own bed again.

Little slivers of moonlight reflected off a bit of shining chrome in one of the cardboard boxes still left to be unpacked. Jane's mind immediately flashed back to the first moment he'd seen Lily in Danny and Laura's house Sunday morning, remembering the whirring fan that had drowned out the horrific sounds from the living room down the hall.

"You want your fan turned on, don't you sweetheart?" Jane inquired, smiling as he figured out one tiny mystery that day. Putting Lily in her bed, Jane fished the tabletop fan out of the box and placed it on top of the dresser, finding an outlet underneath the window.

As Lily's new daddy turned back toward the crib, he noticed a pair of sleepy blue eyes begin to blink shut and a tiny thumb slip between pink lips.

Jane rubbed little circles on Lily's back to coax her further into sleep.

"That's what you needed, wasn't it Lily?" Jane whispered. "Sorry, babygirl, Daddy should've figured that one out already, huh?" Jane smiled at the sleepy little girl, the familiarity of family life warming him as he stood beside the crib.

"But you need to get a good night's sleep sweetheart—tomorrow's a big day," Jane promised softly. "You're going to see where Mommy and Daddy work…meet your new babysitter and her sons…and you'll see Pappi (Jane smiled to himself)…and Rigsby…and Grace…and Cho…."

Jane swore that he heard a sleepy little 'Cho' come from Lily's lips.

Listening to the baby's steady breathing and watching the rise and fall of her back against his circling hand, Jane was convinced that Lily's was finally sound asleep. He bent down to kiss the fine blonde curls below, and as he rose, caught the glint of his wedding band in the narrow strip of moonlight from the window.

Studying his left hand in the faint illumination, Jane thought over the events of the past few days, of his desire to give Lily the sort of family she deserved…of how much Teresa had sacrificed without hesitation when he needed her…of the knowledge that he was about to slip into her bed without a toddler between them.

Flicking on Lily's closet light, Patrick Jane opened the Laura's jewelry box he'd recovered on Sunday, and with one last kiss to the cooling gold band, placed it beside the two other rings resting within.

oooo

Stripping down to his boxers, Patrick Jane slid into an empty bed, and hearing Lisbon still in the bath, decided that since his regular nap was so quickly foreshortened by an impromptu dance party, he would just close his eyes for a few minutes until she came to bed.

oooo

Teresa Lisbon's bath had unfortunately done little to help her condition. The discomfort she'd tried to ignore all day refused to abate…her frustration with being housebound was grating on her…and another sort of frustration was ready to drive her over the proverbial edge.

She'd tried to take care of matters herself in the bathtub, but was dissatisfied with the service her fingers alone could render.

Wishing she'd brought a sexy nightie into the bathroom with her (or any sort of pajamas to speak of), Teresa slipped back into her bra and panties. She grit her teeth as she put on the snug garments that wanted to rebel against her tender flesh, vowing to find a comfier bra for work tomorrow.

Shuffling the contents of the medicine cabinet, Lisbon sighed at the utter lack of decent painkillers behind the mirrored door. She hoped against hope that there might be a bottle in the nightstand.

Lisbon breathed a sigh of relief as she spied Lily asleep in her own bed as she crept through the darkened hallway. As much as she loved the little girl, a night without a squirming toddler in her bed would be a bit easier on her already tense and uncomfortable body.

When she reached her darkened bedroom, Teresa Lisbon was a little disappointed to find that her bedmate was already asleep, now wishing that she hadn't robbed him of his nap earlier that morning.

Frustrated, anxious and uncomfortable, Teresa Lisbon shut her bedroom door and slid into bed beside one sound-asleep Patrick Jane.

Oooo

Ch 17

"Dammit!"Teresa Lisbon swore under her breath, unceremoniously chunking the empty container of Midol back into the nightstand drawer, hovering over a sleeping Patrick Jane. In her discomfort and dissatisfaction, the underwear-clad, pre-menstrual brunette had not thought to walk around to the side of the bed Patrick now claimed, to surreptitiously look through the drawer, but instead, reached across his prone form on her hands and knees, to dig through the assorted items contained therein.

She thought of the other necessary item she was searching for, and shooting a sideways look to insure that her bedmate was still sleeping, she reached for the bottom drawer, and looking further down to search among cast-off magazines and junk mail that littered the cabinet, Teresa Lisbon lost her balance, her knees slipping out from underneath her against the sheets. Firm hands suddenly gripped her body to steady her from falling further and knocking her head against the table.

"Looking for something, Lisbon?" Jane inquired, trying to stifle the amusement in his voice.

"Midol-," she shot back, before rattling another bottle, only to discover it silent and chunking it back into the drawer as well.

"Your period isn't due for three more days," the nearly omniscient mentalist declared groggily, not realizing until it was too late the error of his comment.

"I'm not going to bother to ask how you even know such a thing," Teresa growled, turning around to glare at Jane, only then noticing that her panty-covered bottom was directly in front of his face, his blue-green eyes unable to tear themselves away from such a sight. "But apparently the cramping, bloating and swelling decided to show up _today_," she replied snarkily.

Ok, so Jane's shopping list hadn't been _quite_ as perfect as he'd hoped.

Lisbon sighed—she'd come up short on both of her searches—doomed to be uncomfortable and frustrated for the night—and anyway, all the blood rushing to her head wasn't helping matters, either.

"Come here, woman," Jane playfully ordered as he pulled Lisbon up and into his lap, "I can make you feel better than any silly, little pill," he chided, sitting up against the headboard and settling Teresa back against his chest.

"Just relax," he suggested, his fingers rubbing gently at her temples…her tense jaw…the knotted muscles in her neck and shoulders. The little groans he received in response did little to help Patrick Jane's control with Teresa Lisbon in his boxer-covered lap.

When her neck loosened enough so that her head lolled back into the snug comfort of Patrick's shoulder, he slipped his hands down to her cramping belly, warming the muscles first with the heat of his soothing hands.

After getting past the first tender spots that made Lisbon flinch in anticipation of the painful sensation she might have expected from being touched, Patrick Jane began to feel Lisbon's body relax, his adept hands masterfully caressing the contracting flesh, softening it steadily under his fingers. Teresa melded her body even more closely to Jane.

"I've always had such hell with cramps," Lisbon explained, relishing the comfort of Jane's hands.

"Aren't your birth control pills supposed to help?" Jane inquired as he continued with his ministrations. There was really no sense in trying to pretend he didn't know—his first visit into Teresa Lisbon's bathroom told him at least half of what he needed to know about her.

"They take the edge off a little, I guess. _About all they're good for_," she added, under her breath.

Patrick smiled secretly at Lisbon's complaint, hoping that he could assist with more than just _one_ of Teresa's problems tonight.

A relieved groan passed Teresa's lips as Patrick's hands dipped even lower on her belly, threatening his already shaky control as she arched into his touch.

"If I'd known you were so good at this, I'd have asked you to help me ages ago," Teresa lamented her stubborn silence and the past agonies she'd endured as a result.

"When have I ever given you cause to doubt my talents, woman?" Patrick teased softly in Teresa's ear, offering a tender kiss just underneath.

"Very rarely," Teresa conceded, her hands dropping down to unwittingly grasp Jane's bare thighs.

"How is the cramping?" Patrick questioned sincerely as he continued the massage.

"Better…," Lisbon answered a little wistfully, hoping that Jane hadn't planned to stop touching her any time soon.

Patrick swallowed nervously before broaching the next subject, hoping not to scare Lisbon away with his suggestion.

"You had mentioned some other areas of… um…discomfort?" his eyes trailed down to Teresa's bra-covered breasts that threatened to spill out of her snug bra.

Lisbon followed Jane's eyes to the area in question.

"Right….," she breathed out, her silky dark locks grazing against Patrick's chest as she nodded.

"Do you want me to help you with…that, as well?" Jane tried to keep his voice even, but his typically smooth delivery seemed to fail him in the moment.

"Yes…if you don't mind…," Teresa confessed, equal parts discomfort and neediness trumping any hesitation she might have felt.

Giving a gentle kiss to her temple, Jane nodded and whispered, "Ok…," in response. His deft hands traveled from her belly to her breast, unfastening the front catch of her black bra, the depths of its color playing in sharp contrast to the creamy flesh it contained.

Jane's breath seemed to hitch as he slid the bra off her arms with a seeming effortlessness, his expertise at sleight-of-hand tricks proving invaluable at the moment.

"You're beautiful, Teresa," he declared softly as his hands feathered over the taut skin, trying to accustom her breasts to his touch.

Lisbon's body tensed again at the initial sensation.

"Just relax, sweetheart," Jane coaxed, gently cupping the swollen mounds in his hands to warm the flesh underneath. Rosy nipples tickled at Jane's palms as Teresa's hands drew sensuous trails underneath his thighs. There was no way to hide the evidence of Jane's desire, though Teresa didn't move from her place between his legs. The kisses that he couldn't resist placing down the side of her throat, made her arch against him with all the more fervor.

As Jane felt the blood flow increasing underneath his palm, he began to knead the turgid flesh gently, using his thumbs to stroke down the curvature of her breast, grazing the nipple at the end of each pass, earning a breathy gasp from Lisbon at the end of each touch.

"Feeling better?" Jane asked in low and seductive tones, his earlier nervousness dissipating with Lisbon's unguarded response to his touch.

"Mmm hmm…," Lisbon nodded, her breath catching as Patrick's fingers circled the puckered flesh that made Lisbon hold her breath in anticipation. The gentle pulls against her nipples caused the petite brunette to bow hard against Jane's chest and clench her thighs trying to find relief for the other problem unmasked by the dissipation of her discomfort.

"Is there something else you were searching for in the nightstand, earlier?" Jane inquired, already guessing at the answer, his teeth nipping at the curve of her neck.

Lisbon's nervous eyes caught Jane's that sparkled with knowledge and mischief—that same look that always made her expectant and intrigued.

Licking her lips, Lisbon nodded in admission, part of her wanting to cringe at the confession and part of her relieved at the revelation.

"If I had to venture a guess, I'd bet that you inadvertently left it behind in that motel room in Modesto last month," Jane deduced, knowing that he risked Lisbon kicking him out of bed for the assumption.

"What?" Lisbon's eyes were panic-stricken as her muscles tensed to retreat, though Jane's hold tightened around her body, forcing her to hear him out.

"Before you get all upset, just let me say…that I had no intention of intruding on your privacy," he explained softly, his breath warm against her ear.

Lisbon scoffed even as she blushed furiously.

"I swear—I didn't. We had the rooms with the adjoining doors….When I figured out who the killer was, I knocked on your door," Jane paused to allow Teresa time to flashback to the moment in question, "but you had the radio up pretty loud, so I picked the lock…."

Teresa Lisbon's breath shuddered at the memory. Lisbon had taken her trusty vibrator along on the trip to Modesto, but she couldn't remember unpacking it once she arrived back home.

Jane had remained in the doorway for only a moment, fearing Lisbon's wrath if she caught him watching her, but, god, if she didn't look hotter than hell writhing against the white motel sheets, the cheap comforter crumpled in a heap on the floor and her lips mouthing but a single syllable…

"It was the sexiest thing I had seen in a very long time, Teresa," he breathed out before returning to her neck—strategically kissing those places where her pulse now raced.

"Did you need a cold shower afterward?" Lisbon snarked, trying to recover a modicum of her dignity.

"Oh, hell no," Jane scoffed, punctuating his next words with suckling kisses on tender flesh, "I took a very… Long. Hot. Shower," he grinned, his fingers dipping down to trace teasing trails along her panty-covered mound, making Teresa clench her thighs again and bite her lips.

"And then I took another one again the next morning," he teased, Lisbon's muscles squeezing against the traveling fingers as she smiled.

"So, shall I help you solve your other little problem, as well?" Jane offered suggestively, as he continued to toy with the sensitive, fabric-covered flesh underneath his fingers.

"You do seem to be fairly successful with all your 'problem –solving' so far tonight," Lisbon retorted with a grin.

"I take that as a 'yes' then?"

Lisbon nodded and rose so that Jane could slide her black panties down her hips. He groaned in appreciation at the sight, gratified to see Teresa Lisbon once again in all her bared glory.

As his finger toyed with the furrow of her nether lips, he couldn't help but ask—

"So if you had found your vibrator, had you planned on using it while I was in the bed with you?"

"Well you _were_ asleep, you know."

"But you forget…I'm a very light sleeper."

"Oh…I didn't forget," Teresa grinned, turning to capture Jane's lips in a hungry kiss, her reward being the hand that snaked beneath her hip and its fingers that plunged deeply into her wet heat.

Relieved cries of long-repressed need echoed off the walls of the senior agent's bedroom as her empty, aching core was suddenly filled.

Sensitive, searching fingers explored the warm, slick, snug channel, mapping every hidden place where Patrick's touch made Teresa Lisbon groan in pleasure. His right hand gathered the wetness in his fingers and drew a deep line through the concealing lips to find the pleasurable pearl that was buried deep in the fleshy folds.

His surname rolled off her tongue like a mantra…the same word he'd watched her form when she thought she was alone last month. Jane knew he'd have to work hard to suppress the smile that would come to his lips when she would address him in her office.

God knows how many times he had envisioned Teresa like this, bare, revealed, responding to those hands that had hungered to touch her for so long. Jane had so often watched the subtle clench of Lisbon's thighs, noted how she would lean into the seam of her jeans without seeming to notice—those tamped-down desires seeking to defeat Lisbon's rational, controlled sensibilities.

Jane had so frequently fantasized about sliding behind the senior agent as she sat behind her desk, popping loose the button on her snug jeans, slowly sliding the zipper down, slipping his fingers beneath the tiny scrap of fabric beneath, and making her come apart in his arms.

Had he thought of the myriad of illicit acts the petite brunette might perform for him?

Of course he had…but the pleasure to be gained from watching Teresa Lisbon lose herself in his touch had been a favorite fantasy of his for a long while now.

But now, her mewls of satisfaction escalated into deep groans of very real awakened hunger. Teresa's petite body writhed against Patrick's fingers, grinding hard against him.

The strangled sensation in Jane's groin was becoming increasingly unbearable.

"Damn these boxers," Jane muttered between gritted teeth, though never missing a stroke as he tended to Teresa, his deft fingers now soaked with the evidence of the petite brunette's readiness.

"Take them off," Teresa insisted breathlessly, the need Jane had acknowledged and fed had finally broken the last vestige of her reserve.

"What?" Jane questioned, his head suddenly racing at her words. For all the flirting and teasing…for all the intimacy he had encouraged that night, this was the moment that would define them from now on…

"Please, Patrick," Teresa cried, her hands clutching at the offending fabric beneath her.

"Yes, Teresa…."

With a deep breath and another singeing kiss to the curve of Lisbon's creamy neck, Jane lifted his hips, allowing Teresa to strip him of the only barrier between the two of them.

Giving in to an impossible hunger, Teresa turned to face Patrick Jane, and with only a moment's hesitation, searching sea-green eyes for any sign of a second thought, Teresa Lisbon plunged down onto Jane's impossibly hard shaft. She stilled her movements for a bit, adjusting to his size and giving Jane a second to rein in his control.

"Oh, God…," Jane breathed out, nearly overwhelmed by the sensation of being surrounded by Teresa Lisbon, of her warm, wet channel opening for him…accepting him…clinging tightly to his rigid, needy flesh.

Teresa began to move, her hips rising and falling like a wave as she made love to Patrick Jane. Nimble fingers raked through dark locks, bringing Teresa's lips to Jane's own, tongues tangling as their bodies did the same. One of his hands slipped down to the tiny waist that moved in firm, intent circles before him. Breaking the kiss to gasp for air, the bared brunette smiled as a strong arm wrapped around her waist, tugging down her hips to meet Jane's, thrust for thrust.

Arching back, Lisbon's dark curls tickled against Jane's steadying arm, and leaf-green eyes closed from the fruition of so much long-awaited pleasure. Lips that usually rewarded her with mischievous smiles latched onto her nipple, eliciting a breathy gasp from her open lips as her fingers clutched at blonde curls, encouraging Patrick Jane at her breast.

He fed hungrily at her tight, swollen peaks, the wet pulls of his mouth stoking the fires in her ravenous core. How many seemingly innocent evenings had they spent together with Jane immersed in thoughts of indulging at Teresa Lisbon's bared breasts, or secretly slipping a hand into the delicate, wet folds between her thighs.

On warm summer nights, when Teresa would shower early and come back downstairs in a tiny little tank top, with her nipples hardening after leaving the steamy bathroom, it was all Jane could do not to tease the strap away from her shoulder and stroke the tightening, rosy flesh. He would often fantasize about taking the sweet bud into his mouth, exploring the teased textures with his tongue, and finally suckling at her breast until he had extracted all the love, comfort and affection Teresa's body could give him.

All those nights in her darkened living room, lit only by the flickering glow of the television set, Patrick Jane would imagine slipping his fingers between her legs, to that small, hidden knot, mysteriously tethered to the nipple on which he had indulged, and repaying the tenderness he had taken at her breast.

But now, opening his eyes to the slivers of moonlight in Teresa's darkened bedroom, his forehead resting at her breastbone while lips kissed at damp blonde curls, Patrick Jane's fantasy merged into real life. He watched for a moment their bodies sliding together, over and again, Teresa's strong thighs spread wide across his hips…the normally concealing nether lips opened like a sensuous flower as she continued to sheathe his cock in her snug depths at a steady rhythm.

The strong hand that had caressed her breast sought out the eager, yearning pearl between her legs, fingers once again gathering the slick of their bodies and matching the rhythm of their thrusts with the subtle pressure of his thumb against the hard little knot of nerves that hid within that sweet, soft pink flesh.

He caught an untended nipple between his lips, his thumb drawing ever more insistent strokes as he thrust upward with a feverish desire.

"Jane!" Teresa cried out, then bit against a broad, golden shoulder to keep from waking the baby. She flushed a little, the formality fueled by the store of fantasies she, too, had replayed for many years.

Secretly, Teresa had rather hoped that Jane would have become bored or had a sudden epiphany (as he was wont to do) and decided to pick the lock of their adjoining rooms last month in Modesto, though she had dared not confess to such a desire out loud when he had earlier mentioned his voyeuristic moment. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, the senior agent really wanted Jane to barge into that motel room unannounced, ditch her poor battery-driven substitute, and spend the rest of the night taking her over the edge time and again, his body buried deeply inside hers.

Sometimes, if she was feeling particularly naughty, she imagined ordering her unruly consultant into her office, telling him to lock the door and shut the blinds (as if his comeuppance were so dire it needed to be dealt out in privacy) and then proceed to have her wicked way with him instead.

Sometimes she used the cuffs.

But neither of those fantasies could compare to Patrick Jane beneath her…moving inside her…bringing her to that brink of release she so desperately needed as she clung to him in the dark.

"Just let go, Teresa…," panting lips breathed against her breast.

"Patrick…," she pled in a sob, the coil in her belly winding ever tighter.

"Come for me, Teresa…need to feel you…want to watch you…."

And with one more flick of Patrick Jane's thumb and deep thrust of his cock, the petite brunette's fiery channel began to pulse and clamp down on the rock-hard shaft buried so deeply within her.

Jane watched as Lisbon's back arched hard against his hands, watched as she bit her lip in an effort to muffle her cries of pleasure, watched darkened eyes open once again to meet his entranced gaze.

Patrick Jane utilized every ounce of concentration and control to avoid letting himself fall over the edge with her, and in a swift, deft movement, he reversed their positions, Lisbon's petite frame now laying beneath him.

With a broad smile and sparkling eyes, Jane braced his weight on his forearms, framing the pinkly flushed skin of Teresa's face and the dark ringlets that fanned out against the soft pillow beneath her head.

Once the burning in her thighs had waned and the shakiness of her limbs had once again stilled, Teresa's small but strong hands traveled to the flexing muscles of Patrick's backside, pressing him more deeply, more insistently into her body.

Taking in ragged breaths, Teresa studied the turquoise eyes that were now as open, as bare as hers had ever been to Patrick Jane. She understood why her riding him had not been enough, why after their years of snatched keys and willful battles… after he'd suffered crippling losses… Patrick Jane needed this moment…a moment where Teresa Lisbon ceded the control she usually held so tightly.

Her hands traveled higher as she relinquished the tight grip she'd held on his ass. Patrick grinned at her sudden self-consciousness, making sure to tell her later that she could grab his ass any time she pleased.

The knowing smile that twinkled in Lisbon's eyes told Jane that he wouldn't need to mention it (though she knew he couldn't possibly resist).

Small hands mapped taut muscles along Patrick's back and ribs, and he chuckled softly at the flash of inquiry that crossed her face, wondering how her consultant stayed in such impressive shape with all the time he spent napping.

Reaching higher, her hands met the warm, flexing muscles of the arms she'd crawled into earlier tonight, arms that promised first comfort…and then pleasure.

With movements deep but subtle, Patrick Jane was making love to Teresa Lisbon, her body moving in response to his. Closing her eyes and giving herself over to Jane's enthralling rhythms, letting her hands travel the contours of his strong shoulders, a small gasp escaped her lips when she felt two warm hands gently frame her face.

"I love you, Teresa," Patrick whispered as he buried himself inside her depths.

Stunned, Lisbon's right hand moved to cover the one that now touched her face. She was not left speechless so much by what he said, but by what was now so obviously absent.

"Patrick…?" she breathed out in question, shaking fingers tracing along a hand that was free of cool metal. Teresa's eyes shone as she searched his face for a response.

"I put it in Lily's jewelry box before I got ready for bed," he stated with a resigned smile. He saw the sympathetic reply begin to quaver on Teresa's lips and the threat of her tears begin to mount.

"Oh, honey…no—no need to cry…," he gently brushed away a tear that gathered at the corner of her eye. "Don't feel you need to say it back…I just wanted you to know…."

A second of resignation flickered in his ocean-colored eyes, quickly dispelled by a disbelieving gasp and a playful smack to his bare backside.

"Of course I love you, you silly man," Lisbon grabbed a handful of blonde curls, bringing his lips down to her own with a passionate force.

A megawatt smile played across his face, while a mischievous gleam studied Lisbon's wicked grin and sultry eyes.

Grabbing two handfuls of Jane's gorgeous ass, Teresa Lisbon once again resumed her demanding disposition.

"So, are you going to finish what you started here, or should I?" she queried with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk.

Chuckling in acceptance of her challenge, Jane slid Lisbon's legs between his own, and with a deep thrust that drew his cock along her swollen clit with every pass, it took Patrick only moments to have the brunette beneath him writhing and bucking in indescribable pleasure.

His mouth covered hers in a breathy kiss to keep her cries from escaping their bedroom. As she clutched to his back and her tight passage pulsed around his cock, Patrick Jane finally let go, filling Teresa Lisbon's body and soul with a flood of his warmth.


End file.
